Illegal occupation: All agencies to help KPT ‘save the ecosystem’ by removing squatters

Influential people are reclaiming land and dumping debris at the port.

KARACHI: Law enforcing and civic agencies were ordered to take joint action against alleged encroachments on Karachi Port Trust land that are damaging the ecosystem by disturbing the ‘hydro-tidal regime’ on the seabed.

KPT’s lawyer Syed Mehmood Alam Rizvi Advocate told Chief Justice Musheer Alam and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi of the Sindh High Court how private respondents, Sikandar Jadoon and Hakim Chandio, have developed Sikandar Goth at Boat Basin, Clifton on KPT land.

Rizvi submitted that they have a lot of hired armed men and are dumping debris, reclaiming land and selling encroached land for millions of rupees.

KPT’s Anti-Encroachment Cells are unable to do anything due to political influence and the law and order situation created by the encroachers and their henchmen, said Rizvi. KPT claims that the police and other agencies are not cooperating with them.

They asked the court to order the Sindh police, home secretary, Pakistan Rangers, city district government, Karachi’s Anti-Encroachment Cell to help and set up permanent pickets to stop vehicles carrying debris.

The court was also asked to tell utility agencies such as the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, Karachi Electric Supply Company, Southern Sui Gas Company not to provide these new constructions with connections.

After hearing the petition on Friday, the bench ordered all the respondents to take joint action against these land grabbers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2011.