SHC orders action against illegal construction in Aram Bagh

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) turned down a plea to restrain the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) from action against a structure in Aram Bagh area, ARY News reported on Monday.

A bench of the high court ordered the SBCA to take action against illegal construction.

A petitioner had pleaded for a restraining order against the SBCA action. “Our construction is not illegal, SBCA being involved in an unlawful action against us,” the petitioner said in an application.

“The petitioner has encroached six feet portion of a street in Aram Bagh and added it into his house,” a SBCA lawyer said.

“Who has restrained you from acting against it,” the court said. “The petitioner has got a stay order from court,” the counsel replied. “No restraining order applicable, you should go and act against it,” the court said.

A high court bench in October hearing of a contempt of court petition on the building control authority’s failure to furnish a report on Akbar Road’s alleged illegal developments had summoned the director general of the authority to appear before the court.

Why despite six months since the court orders there has not been any report furnished on the constructions deemed illegal, SHC judge Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput questioned.

The petitioner in his contempt of court plea said that an influential group is illegally taking over lands on the Akbar Road for development works, over which the court had asked of SBCA to look into the matter.

It’s been six months since we directed a compliance report, but the DG SBCA vanishes from the scene after only eyewash actions, the court said.