Illegal occupation: Crackdown on squatters to begin soon
The operation against the land mafia will begin on Monday and all public land under illegal possession will be recovered, said City Administrator Muhammad Hussein Syed and Karachi DCO Roshan Ali Shaikh at a joint press conference at the Civic Centre on Saturday.
So far, the anti-encroachment squad has seized 4,292 acres of illegally occupied land worth Rs29 billion and apprehended 124 people, said Syed.
The city administrator said that the drive would be totally impartial and action would be taken against anyone found involved in illegal activities and will continue until all encroachments are removed. The city district government, Karachi (CDGK) has already put together a list of all encroached land. The land recovered would be used for public welfare projects while the private land would be given back to its original owners.
The police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary will assist the CDGK if and when required. The DCO told The Express Tribune that the operation was halted temporarily but the Anti-Encroachment Cell and police had not stopped monitoring the encroached areas. Earlier, the prime minister also took notice of the situation. “We would not spare anyone involved in illegally occupying public and private land”, he said. “The writ of the government would be implemented at all cost and people would be provided with protection.”
If a CDGK official or employee was found involved in any kind of transaction with the land mafia, they too would have to face the consequences. The operation would also cover the clearing of public pavements and shopkeepers will be asked to stay within the legal space allowed to them.
Revenue EDO Ghanor Leghari, Additional Revenue EDO Matanat Ali Khan, Anti-Encroachment Police SP Irfan Bahadur and other land, estate and revenue department officials were at the press conference.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2011.
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i am an overseas pakistani working around the clock to make a living.......6 yrs a go i bought a plot in ahsanabad society sector 5, with my hard earned savings.......does this mean that finally i will be able to get possession of my plot when i arrive by the end of this year in karachi.....can anyone tell me ....what to do? how to get my plot back? whom to contact for this purpose? i have all the complete document file with me. can anyone please give a suggestion.
shame on land grabbers, its so easy in Karachi "kisiy ka haq marna". And they call them self Muslim. One day they have to answer not here but in front of Allah.
Just remember this Land Mafia people "what goes around comes around" your day is coming soon
I bet they will not come inside Korangi Crossing KDA Employee Society area as its occupied by MQM (a) favoured land mafia group. The Whole ST's have been taken over and sold by these gangs... KDA Employees Society in particular. And they even threaten the locals there who ever dare to speak against them. No One Can put hands on these land mafia gangs as they have strong roots in political parties. Two Major in particular MQM and ANP ... MQM at korangi KDA employees society and ANP GA SINDH and MQM at Mehran Town. These are few that i know and seen for my self occupied by these land mafia's. Let See If the Gov. Is really Serious On This Issue or not.
Could you just clarify whether this operation is against the 'land mafia' or 'squatters' (as in 'katchi abadis'). While dealing with the land mafia (businesses who sell land illegally to unsuspecting customers) is a step in the right direction, you can't deal with katchi abadis by just telling them to get lost - you need to give them an alternative. These are poor people who work like the rest of us and would love to have 'legitimate' homes if they could afford it. The 'Khuda Ki Basti' project off Super Highway is one example of a great solution to this (and yes, it's fully functional as of now, do check it out)
No need to spend another dime for these culprits. They will again release and will be sitting with ministers in near future and will be holdings political rallies!