Land mafia starts construction on civil aviation land

The alleged owner of the civil aviation’s four-acre land opposite to the Karachi Airport signal has started construction.

The most astonishing feature in this development is the Sindh government’s aid to construction on public land by the occupant mafia, according to sources. It is also learnt that the lease documents of 1993 are being utilised for the construction.

According to the sources the power of attorney belonging to a man named Arsalan is being used for construction on the civil aviation land. According to the civil aviation authorities, the post 1926 regular surveys of the land are available. However, a boundary wall was built in 1998 and the plot to occupy the land by the land mafia was foiled.

Sources in the civil aviation said that the work of illegal occupation is being done under the supervision of Mukhtar Kar Soomro while his staff is monitoring the illegal construction through heavy machinery.  The municipal supervision also proves that huge amount of money has been poured in for the construction on the public civil aviation land, said the sources.

There are also grave security concerns, which have emerged due to the construction around the airport’s entrance since the cars of ambassadors coming in from over the world also pass by the two-way road near the occupied land in addition to VIP movements.

Aviation division has drafted a letter to Home Minister to stop the occupation. According to the letter, the allotment for land has been cancelled in 2000. The civil aviation authority in the letter has requested the home minister to stop illegal occupation and construction on the land.

Civil aviation has rooms and parking constructed for the people on the land. On the other hand, Civil Aviation spokesperson has said that CAA has gathered stay orders from the court against the occupation of land and the case will be heard on May 24 in which legal documents from civil aviation will be presented.