Turfed out : Illegal occupants to be removed from KU houses

Varsity’s syndicate says legal action will be taken in case of non-compliance

KARACHI:

The University of Karachi’s (KU) syndicate has ordered the evacuation of 40 bungalows in the varsity’s residential area, which had been illegally occupied by retired teachers and other staffers, saying that strict action will be taken in case of non-compliance.

Sources said that illegal occupants will be given a month’s notice to vacate the houses, and would otherwise be forcefully removed and legal proceedings initiated against them.

As The Express Tribune had earlier reported, around 40 houses had been illegally occupied for more than a decade by at least three types of employees: retired teachers, officers, and employees who had completed their legal tenures; on-service employees; and bank officers having no connection with the varsity.

Despite being questioned about the illegal status of their occupancy, many residents had refused to vacate the houses. What is more, after repeatedly failing to remove illegal occupants from government bungalows and quarters, the management of the university, for the very first time, had decided to take the matter before the syndicate - the strongest authority in the university.

To discuss the matter, the syndicate held a meeting under the chairmanship of KU vice chancellor Professor Khalid M Iraqi. After careful deliberation, it was decided that the occupants currently employed by the university would be given 30 days to vacate their houses, while non-compliance would lead to termination from their jobs on disciplinary grounds.

On the other hand, retired employees, who have completed their one-year vacancy period granted by the administration, will have to leave the houses immediately. Otherwise, utility services will be suspended from the houses and residents will be forcefully removed with the help of law enforcement agencies.

When approached, Prof Iraqi confirmed the syndicate’s decision.

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Shedding light on the matter, syndicate member Dr SM Taha said that at present, the KU House Allocation Committee included employees, officers, and teachers as members.

“Owing to pressure from some committee members, some employees were illegally allotted houses in 2016 on the basis of their seniority,” he said. “As a result, I dismissed the presidents of the relevant associations, along with cancelling their committee membership, and recommended to reconstitute the House Allocation Committee.”

Apart from discussing housing issues in the meeting, syndicate member Shahida Rahmani, who is also a member of the Sindh Assembly, talked about the unfortunate incident of a student’s recent suicide.

The student, identified as Nadia Ashraf, was a research student at the varsity’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS). Upon hearing about the incident, the syndicate decided to form a harassment committee that would further probe the matter.

The VC also offered Rahmani the opportunity to join the investigation committee, which she accepted, while another member of the syndicate, Dr Mohsin, was included in the committee on the recommendation of Dr Ataur Rehman. The five-member committee will now look into the matter.

Retired employees illegally occupy houses in KU

However, when voting was carried out, Rahmani could not succeed in gaining the selection board’s membership. Pakistan Peoples Party leader Waqar Mehdi was also nominated as a member of the selection board, but he too could not obtain enough votes to be successful.

Among other matters, the syndicate rejected the proposal to provide a separate, larger land for setting up the Sardar Yasin Malik Professional Development Centre, stating that the centre should be established on the land temporarily allotted to Sardar Yasin Malik.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2020.