Encroachments: SHC blasts Commissioner, Police over non-compliance

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday resented over non compliance of its order over land grabbing in Gulistan-e-Johar Block 10, ARY News reported.

A high court bench while expressing its disappointment with the Commissioner Karachi, KDA, Police and other officials summoned D.G. KDA, Commissioner and DIG Police East.

The court ordered the officials to hold a session over encroachments within three days. The bench also demanded a comprehensive plan to remove encroachments from the officials.

The high court bench also directed concerned departments to clear the illegally occupied land from the possession of the encroachers within 30 days.

The court was hearing a petition about the land mafia’s activities in utter disregard to the court orders. “The KDA as well as the officers of other concerned departments were not prepared to hear in this respect,” the petitioner complained.

Land grabbing and encroachment of the state land has become a menace in Karachi as several groups of criminals operating to take hold of precious lands with patronage from influential people.

An anti-encroachment operation was halted due to the violent reaction of the protesters against the team of Karachi Development Authority (KDA) in the Gulistan-e-Johar in October last year.

Due to violent reaction of the protesters, the operation to retrieve government land by the KDA was disrupted in Gulistan-e-Johar Block 6. The KDA officials said that the anti-encroachment team returned from the area due to violence.