SCP orders govt to demolish Karachi's 250 buildings on encroached land

KARACHI: The Supreme Court has directed Thursday the federal government to raze at least 250 structures in the P&T Colony of Gizri Area, ARY News reported.

In its verdict on the hearing yesterday over city’s encroachments the larger bench of Supreme Court Karachi registry noted that P&T Colony has more than 250 illegitimate multi-storey buildings and directed the government to bring them down.

The land in P&T Colony was extended to Cantonment Board Clifton for the purposes of maintenance and not for construction of high-rise and to be sold to private developers, the verdict said.

Federal government needs to furnish an explanation over illegal constructions in the cantonment board, the verdict reads, while directing Attorney General of Pakistan to present before the court to expand on the government’s account.

The same verdict has shared the larger bench’s observations on the illegal private allotments and constructions of high-rises on the land designated for Naval purposes.

Constructions of high-rise structure on Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman will be taken into consideration, the verdict added, underscoring that such private construction on cantonment lands is contradictory to the Constitution.

READ: KDA launches anti-encroachment operation in Surjani Town

Separately, the verdict laid instructions for Karachi’s commissioner as well, directing him to bring down all the constructions in the encroached lands around Kidney Hill Park and submit a report to the court within two weeks.

Demolish all the constructions of Royal Park Residency and having swept off the wreckage, develop a park on the land, the verdict further directed the government adding that another under-construction project by the same developers must be ceased by the government at earliest.

Moreover, the CBC has been ordered to plant mangroves across the waterbeds of Bath Island and KPT Society while ensuring water supply to residents of the cantonment.