Graveyard land demarcation in 15 days, SHC told

Almost 22 years after the Sindh Land Utilisation Department (LUD) handed over 220 acres of land to the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) to establish a graveyard, the land's demarcation is expected to complete in the next 15 days on the Sindh High Court (SHC) order.

The Hyderabad circuit bench, comprising Justice Nadeem Akhtar and Justice Arshad Hussain Khan, was assured on Tuesday that the demarcation, which had been delayed for decades, will be completed in 15 days.

"… demarcation of the subject land shall be completed within 15 days," Hyderabad deputy commissioner Fuad Ghaffar Soomro stated before the bench.

A non-government organisation, headed by some senior citizens of Hyderabad, got approval for the land in question from former chief minister late Syed Abdullah Shah in 1995.

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Initially, the CM had approved 1,000 acres along Hyderabad- Tando Muhammad Khan Road on Ganjo Takkar mountain range's plateau. However, the LUD handed over the physical possession of only 220 acres of land to the HMC and that too without demarcating the land.

For the last 22 years, the group of senior citizens, some of whom have died, kept running from pillar to post for the demarcation and subsequent development works.

The office of the Latifabad assistant commissioner and mukhtiarkar was primarily responsible for this inordinate delay. The incumbent DC Soomro took personal interest in the matter and directed his subordinates in Latifabad taluka to demarcate land for the graveyard.

Following his directives, Latifabad mukhtiarkar fixed dates for the demarcation of the land for at least five times in as many months, but every time staff, such as assistant mukhtiarkar and tapedar, were unavailable for the demarcation.

The office of the settlement survey and land records director also shared part of the blame. Besides demarcation, encroachment, digging for stones and grit and development were two other obstacles.

During the hearing, Hyderabad municipal commissioner Muhammad Ali Shaikh informed the court that the corporation lacked funds for the construction of the graveyard's boundary wall. He told the court that the Sindh local government secretary was responsible for funding projects executed by the corporation.

The SHC issued a notice to the secretary, directing him to appear at the next hearing on March 10 and inform the court about allocating funds for the graveyard.

The bench also directed the district administration and the police to take immediate steps to remove encroachments and stop the illegal work of stone crushing on the land for the graveyard.

In the fiscal year 2016-17, the Sindh government had earmarked funds for the boundary wall and other civil works in the graveyard. However, the funds lapsed due to non-utilisation.

Building plan violations

Separately, the SHC directed the district administration and police to provide assistance and security to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) in action over encroachments in Latifabad taluka, after the court was informed that the SBCA had identified around 155 commercial structures in the taluka, in violation of the approved building plans.

The SBCA regional director for Hyderabad, Navid Asim, submitted a revised list of 155 properties whose construction had allegedly violated the rules.

"He [Asim] undertakes that action in respect of illegal construction and violations …shall be completed by SBCA within 30 days," the court quoted the regional director in its order.

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The bench also directed utility companies to suspend electricity, gas and water supply to the properties in question at the time of the authority's action.

The violations include the unauthorized construction of additional floor or floors, coverage of arcade and open space, amalgamation of plots, additional and unapproved shops on ground floor and compoundable violations.

More than a dozen marriage halls are also enlisted among the properties built in violation of the authority's approved plans.

The SHC also directed the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) and HMC to scrutinise and submit a report about the conversion of residential plots to commercial properties… "in order to ascertain whether the change in their status from residential to commercial was in accordance with the law or not."

All the said properties are reportedly built on converted plots. The officials of the HDA and HMC assured the court during the hearing that they would submit their scrutiny report at the next hearing on April 6.