The orders were passed in a number of petitions fixed before the bench questioning the unabated construction of structures in violation of building laws.
One of the petitions was filed by Noor Ahmed, a resident of the Karachi Administration Society, challenging illegal construction on a plot adjacent to his house.
Another was filed by NGO Isha Foundation against the KBCA and one Munir for constructing a multistorey commercial building in Block II, PECHS.
In the first petition, the bench said in its order that “it appears that the counsel appointed by the KBCA are mostly useless or unable to reply to even a simple query of the court”. The court then asked the KBCA’s chief controller to interview all of the authority’s lawyers to examine whether they could be engaged in his personal case.
Another petition concerned cheated allottees and illegal occupants and purchasers of units in buildings constructed in violation of building laws. The bench had framed a number of questions and issues. But it noted with regret that out of the respondents, including the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners, ABAD (Association of Builders), Pakistan Engineering Council, KESC, SSGC and KW&SB, only an executive engineer of the water board and a consultant architect were present. “No other agency is in attendance to assist the court which shows that they are not serious about redressing or assisting the court in redressing the problems of a large number of people affected by unauthorized construction and duped into builders, depriving them of lifelong savings”.
The bench adjourned the proceedings to a date to be fixed later.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2010.
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