Trespassing jurisdictions: Registrar to explain why his office issued transfer orders of CBC land

Earlier court notices were returned ‘unserved’ as the officers had been transferred.

KARACHI: The district registrar has been summoned by the Sindh High Court to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against officials in his department for issuing transfer orders on Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) land.

The case was filed by the CBC chief executive officer against the board of revenue secretary, registration IG of properties, Karachi Electric Supply Company and Sui Southern Gas Company for transferring the land “illegally” and providing utility connections.

More than 1,200 buildings had been constructed within CBC jurisdictions without the permission of its management, claimed the petitioner’s lawyer Muhammad Ashraf Ali Bhatti. There are people living in these buildings already even though the construction has yet to be completed, he said, stressing that this is a violation of the building by-laws.

According to the lawyer, sub-registrars of the provincial government revenue department were unlawfully issuing documents to transfer these properties, without having administrative jurisdictions over cantonment areas.

The power and gas utilities are also providing new connections for electricity and gas supply to these buildings, which cannot be provided unless the entire construction work is completed, he added.

The board pleaded the court declare that the revenue department had no jurisdictions over these transfers and to permanently restrain the sub-registrars from issuing any more transfers. They also pleaded the utilities be stopped from providing electricity and gas connections.

Earlier, the court had issued notices to sub-registrar I Bukshal Khan Zardari and sub-registrar-III Khalid Chohan on an application seeking contempt proceedings against them.

The court was informed that the notices had been returned ‘un-served’ as both officials had been transferred from offices. Justice Maqbool Baqar, who headed the division bench, issued notice to the district registrar to personally appear before the court on April 4.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2013.