SC gives two days to clear amenity plots in Karachi

Court comes down hard on KDA officials for selling off amenity plots in Karachi

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) ordered on Monday the Karachi Development Authority's (KDA) director-general to remove illegally set up wedding halls and other encroachments from all amenity plots across the city within two days.

A two-judge bench, comprising justices Gulzar Ahmed and Sajjad Ali Shah, also directed the authority to ensure compliance with this order and submit a report.

The apex court bench issued these directives at its Karachi Registry while hearing an application seeking contempt of the court's order against former KDA director-general Syed Nasir Abbas over alleged non-compliance with the court's order.

The plea was filed by Sabiha Parveen, who had pleaded to the court to initiate proceedings for contempt of the court's order against Abbas, Assistant KDA Director Syed Zafar Ali and others. The court had issued notices of the contempt of the court order application to the KDA officers as well as the anti-encroachment cell's director, Abdul Qadeer Mengal, executive engineer, Mohsin Raza and others.



The applicant, who appeared in person, told the judges that the KDA had provided her a plot in North Karachi in lieu of another piece of land that became disputed.

Parveen complained that all the legal requirements for allotment of the alternative land, which was ordered to be provided to her by the court, were completed. But, that piece of land was later fraudulently and illegally transferred to a third party. She alleged that it was done in collusion with the KDA officials.

The court was told that the act of transferring the land allotted to one person to another without any intimation and providing her an amenity plot as alternative was a violation of the relevant laws as well as the court's orders. Therefore, the applicant pleaded to the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the KDA and anti-encroachment cell officials for allegedly wilfully and deliberately not complying with the court order.

During Monday's proceedings, the apex court's judges came down hard on the KDA deputy director for allotting an amenity plot to the applicant and many others across the city where wedding halls and other commercial activities were being run instead of the public activities, for which the plots were originally earmarked.



Taking serious exception to the attitude of the deputy director, the irate bench members said the police should be called in and the erring officer be taken to jail for his conduct and non-compliance with the court's order.

The judges also came down hard on the secretary of the land department for not take notice of such illegal practices of allowing encroachments on amenity spaces by the KDA.

An irate bench member questioned whether the secretary felt ashamed for not taking any action and failing to perform his duties.

Justice Ahmed observed that no amenity plot was left in the city, as all the amenity spaces, greenbelts and playgrounds had been destroyed by officials. He further observed that localities like Kashmir Road, University Road, North Karachi and North Nazimabad had been destroyed.

The apex court's bench, while restraining itself from taking any action against the KDA deputy director for the time being, told the official to immediately take action against wedding halls and other encroachments set up on amenity plots across the city.



The judges warned that the authority's director-general and other senior officers concerned will be proceeded against sternly and the DG may be sent to the jail in case they failed to remove encroachments from the amenity spaces across within two days.

Justice Ahmed told the KDA officer that it was becoming difficult for people to even breathe due to shrinking amenity spaces, but he was allowing allotment of amenity plots to anyone as if he considered the Karachi his own inherited property.

The top court's judge observed that the city had been stripped of its green cover and even the few amenity spaces it had were being sold.

The judges inquired from the officials whether the city was made to run wedding halls only, but received no answer from the shamefaced officials.

They went on to remark that there was not a single playground left along University Road where young children once played. The bench directed the officials to also demolish boundary walls that had illegally been built around playgrounds along University Road.

The court also summoned the director-general and deputy director of KDA's land department to appear in person on tomorrow (Wednesday) along with a report regarding compliance with the court's orders.