SHC rejects Mehmoodabad residents’ plea

The Sindh High Court rejected on Friday the plea seeking stay on the demolition drive in Mehmoodabad. Encroachments on storm water drains have ruined the appearance of the city, remarked the court.

"Don't you see the situation that emerges in city during rainfall?" the court asked. The petitioners had moved the court to appoint its nazir to inspect the houses that are to be razed during the on-going antiencroachment operation. During the hearing, the petitioners' counsel maintained that the authorities are misinterpreting the Supreme Court's orders and razing houses that have been leased by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation for several years. The counsel contended that these houses were part of the official layout plan. He prayed the court to restrict the relevant authorities from demolishing the houses. "Don't we know how leases are issued by the KMC?" remarked the court, adding that such leases could not be considered.

Noting that a stay order could not be issued on the directives of the SC, the court directed the petitioners to approach the apex court with their concerns and rejected the plea. The provincial chief secretary, National Disaster Management Authority directorgeneral, KMC, municipal commissioner and the Karachi commissioner had been nominated as parties in the plea. Allocation of plots Meanwhile, a plea pertaining to the provision of plots to over 5,000 employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills was submitted before the high court. The petitioners maintained that a residential scheme was introduced for the PMS employees on March 24, 2011 and over 5,000 plots were reserved in Gulshan-e-Hadid phase IV for this purpose. The petitioners contend that the privatisation commission halted the project in 2015 and announced that the plots would be allotted when the steel mills will be privatised.

The petitioners prayed the court to direct the relevant authorities to allot the plots to the PSM employees as the entity is now being privatised. The PSM chief executive officer, secretary of the federal industries and production ministry and the privatisation commission chairperson have been nominated as parties in the plea. Contempt plea Separately, a contempt of court plea was filed by an orphan girl against the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for its failure to issue her B-form despite the court's orders. Petitioner Maham's counsel maintained that his client needs her B-form to continue her studies but NADRA officials are not providing the document despite judicial orders. He stated that the authority is asking her to bring her parents for the provision of the B-form.

Maham informed the court that she has visited the relevant NADRA office several times since the directives were issued by the SHC but the NADRA officials are not complying with judicial orders. The court had earlier declared Maham's maternal aunt her guardian and had directed NADRA to issue her B-form on the basis of her aunt's guardianship.