SC orders immediate action to clear KCR track
Justice Gulzar directs Sindh govt to establish forensic lab in two weeks
The Supreme Court of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
The Supreme Court has told the provincial government and the Karachi administration that there should be no let-up in the on-going anti-encroachment operation to make the city clean and green.
Presiding over separate meetings at the Karachi registry on Saturday, Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Gulzar Ahmad, also ordered that an operation to remove all illegal structures along the track of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) should be initiated immediately.
Justice Gulzar, expressing his annoyance over Sindh government failure to establish a forensic lab, directed that the same should be established within two weeks.
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During a meeting, which was attended by secretaries of home and health departments, Director Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre, Seemin Jamali, and representatives of the University of Karachi, Justice Gulzar regretted the government's failure to realize the difficulties people face in the absence of forensic lab.
When asked to explain the delay in the establishment of the lab officials maintained that work on the lab could not be initiated due to delay in the release of funds. They said that Rs2.7million have now been released. Justice Gulzar warned no more delay will be tolerated and told the government to ensure the establishment of forensic lab within two weeks.
During the meeting to review progress on the operation against encroachments and revival of KCR, the Director-General of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Sami Siddiqui, submitted a report regarding the action taken against 35,000 illegally occupied plots in the city.
According to the report, the KDA has evacuated 5,485 plots. In Gulistan-e-Johar Scheme 36, a total of 26 welfare plots and open spaces in the surroundings of 31 streets were retrieved. In Gulshan-e-Iqbal Scheme 24, The KDA evacuated 1,874 plots including eight welfare plots and 90 open spaces. A total of 904 plots were evacuated in Surjani town scheme 41, 248 plots in Korangi and 284 in north Karachi. Another 43 plots were retrieved in Landhi Town and 39 in Federal B Area.
Others who were present in the meeting included heads of the cantonment boards, local government department secretary, Municipal Commissioner Dr Saifur Rehman besides other officials.
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Justice Gulzar said that encroachment in any form would not be acceptable and ordered that the operations should continue uninterrupted across Karachi, including the areas falling under cantonment boards and Defence Housing Authority. On the issue of the revival of KCR service, the officials the Pakistan Railways assured that they are going to launch a grand operation on Monday to remove all structures and encroachments along and on the KCR track.
Justice Ahmed asked the railway authorities to eliminate all the encroachments immediately telling them that no time should be wasted in restoring the KCR service.
Railways Divisional Superintendent, Arshad Salam Khattak, when contacted, said they have already started implementing the apex court's order on KCR to remove the encroachments. He said that KCR is a part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and that all institutions are in agreement for its restoration.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2018.
The Supreme Court has told the provincial government and the Karachi administration that there should be no let-up in the on-going anti-encroachment operation to make the city clean and green.
Presiding over separate meetings at the Karachi registry on Saturday, Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Gulzar Ahmad, also ordered that an operation to remove all illegal structures along the track of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) should be initiated immediately.
Justice Gulzar, expressing his annoyance over Sindh government failure to establish a forensic lab, directed that the same should be established within two weeks.
SC orders disciplinary action against Sindh Board of Revenue officials
During a meeting, which was attended by secretaries of home and health departments, Director Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre, Seemin Jamali, and representatives of the University of Karachi, Justice Gulzar regretted the government's failure to realize the difficulties people face in the absence of forensic lab.
When asked to explain the delay in the establishment of the lab officials maintained that work on the lab could not be initiated due to delay in the release of funds. They said that Rs2.7million have now been released. Justice Gulzar warned no more delay will be tolerated and told the government to ensure the establishment of forensic lab within two weeks.
During the meeting to review progress on the operation against encroachments and revival of KCR, the Director-General of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Sami Siddiqui, submitted a report regarding the action taken against 35,000 illegally occupied plots in the city.
According to the report, the KDA has evacuated 5,485 plots. In Gulistan-e-Johar Scheme 36, a total of 26 welfare plots and open spaces in the surroundings of 31 streets were retrieved. In Gulshan-e-Iqbal Scheme 24, The KDA evacuated 1,874 plots including eight welfare plots and 90 open spaces. A total of 904 plots were evacuated in Surjani town scheme 41, 248 plots in Korangi and 284 in north Karachi. Another 43 plots were retrieved in Landhi Town and 39 in Federal B Area.
Others who were present in the meeting included heads of the cantonment boards, local government department secretary, Municipal Commissioner Dr Saifur Rehman besides other officials.
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Justice Gulzar said that encroachment in any form would not be acceptable and ordered that the operations should continue uninterrupted across Karachi, including the areas falling under cantonment boards and Defence Housing Authority. On the issue of the revival of KCR service, the officials the Pakistan Railways assured that they are going to launch a grand operation on Monday to remove all structures and encroachments along and on the KCR track.
Justice Ahmed asked the railway authorities to eliminate all the encroachments immediately telling them that no time should be wasted in restoring the KCR service.
Railways Divisional Superintendent, Arshad Salam Khattak, when contacted, said they have already started implementing the apex court's order on KCR to remove the encroachments. He said that KCR is a part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and that all institutions are in agreement for its restoration.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2018.