Will comply with SC orders on Karachi encroachment, says Sindh CM

Shah says KCR land residents won’t be displaced without alternative accommodation

HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the provincial government would comply with the Supreme Court’s orders to remove encroachment from the Karachi Circular Railway’s track, adding that people however would not be left homeless.

“There is a human angle to the issue that we ought to take care of,” he said while addressing the closing ceremony of the two-day Livestock Expo 2020 on Sunday. He also spoke to the media after the ceremony.

“There are clear orders from the court that until we provide alternate accommodation, we cannot displace people from their homes,” he added.

CM Shah claimed that the provincial government had been implementing the courts' orders and would continue to do so.

Responding to a question about the posting of a new Inspector General Sindh Police to replace the incumbent IGP Kaleem Imam, he said the Sindh Cabinet's decision had been conveyed to the prime minister in writing on multiple occasions.

SC orders cantonment boards to raze illegal structures in Karachi

Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Saturday had also pledged that the apex court’s orders to remove encroachments from various parts of the city will be implemented “in letter and spirit”.

Earlier this week, the apex court had ordered the relevant authorities to take action against illegally constructed buildings across the city.

Nasir Hussain Shah also said that the affairs of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) would be streamlined very soon. The Supreme Court had also ordered the removal of SBCA director general Zafar Ahsan on Thursday, directing the provincial chief secretary to take over temporary charge and restructure the body.

“The population of Karachi has increased manifold; that’s why the government is facing multiple problems here,” said the minister.

Discussing the replacement of Sindh police chief Dr Kaleem Imam, the provincial minister maintained that the Centre had turned the issue into a controversy for no reason. He advised Imam to go on leave immediately instead of making matters worse.

“Constant efforts are being made to destabilise the Sindh government,” he complained, claiming that development projects in Karachi were suffering because the federal government had failed to provide Rs130 billion earmarked for these schemes.

(With input from APP)