KDA faces stiff resistance from squatters
Men throw stones at police and KDA officials during an anti-encroachment operation in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Karachi on Tuesday. Photo: Jalal Qureshi/express
A "grand operation" by the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) to retrieve illegally occupied state land in Gulistan-e-Jauhar was called off on Tuesday after strong resistance from squatters.
The area presented a battleground scene as squatters threw stones at police who were escorting the KDA demolition squad, while police fired tear gas shells and resorted to aerial firing to disperse them.
More than a dozen people were hit by stones and injured, while dozens of vehicles, including the DSNG van of a private TV channel and a KDA officer's car, were also damaged. Several rioters were taken into custody for damaging public and private property.
The KDA anti-encroachment team, backed by a police contingent and heavy machinery, reached the site in compliance with the orders of the Sindh High Court which has ordered removal of kiosks, restaurants and commercial buildings along a service road in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Block 11.
However, the owners and occupants of illegal structures gathered to prevent demolitions, according to officials and eyewitnesses. Police tried to disperse them, but they got enraged and started scuffling with the law enforcers, they said. The protesters hurled stones at police who resorted to aerial firing and teargas shelling to smash the violent protest.
Intermittent clashes continued for hours as the protesters refused to relent and were joined by more and more people. Dozens of vehicles were damaged in the melee as the stone-throwers overwhelmed the police and KDA demolition squad, forcing them to beat a retreat.
The protesters blocked the road by burning tyres and erecting barricades, disrupting the flow of traffic. Commuters, especially parents who came to pick up their children from school, were stranded in the area for hours due to the road closure.
Repeated attempts by police to escort the KDA staff to the encroachments fell flat as the protesters refused to back down. More than a dozen people were injured due to stone pelting including Revenue Police SI Muhammad Ahmed, two officers of the KDA, policemen and media representatives.
Police also rounded up several protesters on charges of rioting and damaging public and private property. They were shifted to an unknown location.
According to KDA officials, land worth billions of rupees has been occupied by land grabbers in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Blocks 10 & 11. "When KDA anti-encroachment teams reached the area to retrieve the land, they had to face stiff resistance from residents," one official said, adding that the KDA would register cases against them.
On the other hand, squatters and shop owners say that they have been living and doing business in the area for a long time, but now the KDA was treating them with injustice.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2023.