SHC seeks report on ‘illegal occupation’ of society land

The Sindh High Court (SHC) instructed the bailiff to review documents and records pertaining to 65 acres of land that the Pakistan Post Office Cooperative Housing Society (PPOCHS) claims was illegally encroached to build a village.

The PPOCHS counsel told the two-member bench - headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed - that Abdullah Ghazi Goth had been set up on their land.

The lawyer of the Revenue Department countered that the housing society had encroached on land for the village, saying that big bungalows had been constructed illegally.

According to him, the land was allotted as part of the Sindh government's 'Goth Abad Scheme' to house communities.

The petitioner's counsel stated that the occupants did not have legal rights or property documents. "The Supreme Court has ruled that Goth Abad Scheme cannot be constructed in urban areas," the counsel added.

He contended that 65 acres had been encroached, while claiming that operations to remove encroachment from that land have never taken place.

The assistant commissioner of the East district told the court that the housing society had bought the land adjacent to a rural area.

The court appointed the bailiff of Sindh High Court as commissioner for inspection. The court mandated the inspector to inspect the property and the paperwork and submit a report at the next hearing on March 21.

In addition, the same bench of the SHC heard a petition filed by the Dairy Farmers Association about the allotment order of buffalo cattle pens in Surjani Town.

The counsel for the petitioner stated that despite the court ruling, no allotment letters were issued to 249 cattle pens. In 1991, all of the city's buffalo farms were relocated to Surjani Town.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2023.