Illegal structures cleared from Mehmoodabad Nullah banks

KARACHI: A session of Karachi Coordination Committee on Monday informed that illegal encroachments have been cleared from the banks of Mehmoodabad Nullah, ARY News reported.

Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah chaired the meeting, which was briefed that the encroachments have been removed from both sides of the 7.5-kilometer long drain in Karachi’s Mehmoodabad.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told the session that 65 cheques will be distributed to the persons affected as a result of this clearance drive. “Since now 45 cheques have been issued to aggrieved persons,” CM Shah stated.

The session, was attended by the key officials from federal, provincial, and city governments,
and institutions.

The chief minister in an earlier meeting had promised that those aggrieved as a result of the clearance drive will be rehabilitated.

Murad Ali Shah said that the committee has handed over Rs 30 million to Commissioner Karachi for resettling the affected persons of the clearance drive.

Gujjar Nullah clearance

In the drive to remove illegal encroachments and impediments from nullahs and rain drains, the local government last Tuesday announced to move the operations to Gujjar Nullah as well while it continues to demolish illegal structures on Mehmoodabad Nullah.

The study model of how to develop Gujjar Nullah channels on the advanced lines has been furnished with minimum removal of constructions around them. Instead of removing 150 feet adjoining the nullah, the authorities are only removing 30 feet and have begun marking the region.

With the new design, about 50 per cent of the structures along the will be saved from being dismantled.

The operation is set to begin from the early days of this month and it’s decided to construct boundary walls, footpath, and the streets across the nullas as well.

On various places, the nullah channels will be restructured and straightened up to speed the water stream as well while other than making them deeper and broader, the sewers and will be cleaned of chocking as well.

It was said that at various points, the nullah will be broadened to 60 to 80 feet.