SHC Sukkur bench seeks list of people affected in anti-encroachment drive

SUKKUR: A bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday summoned the list of the people affected by the anti-encroachment operation on the irrigation department lands in Sukkur, ARY News reported.

Sindh irrigation department submitted a report about release of 800 million rupees for resettlement of the affected people.

The high court bench comprised of Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar ordered the Sindh government to release more funds for rehabilitation of the people affected in the anti-encroachment operation.

Mehfooz Awan Advocate, who represented the affected people. told the court that the government has allotted 200 acres of the land for rehabilitation of the affected people. He said that the people have become homeless in the anti-encroachment drive.

The court demanded the list of the affected people and directed to ensure merit and fair play in making the list of affectees to avoid any injustice.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case till March 17.

Earlier, the high court had approved a plea of the Sindh government seeking transfer of irrigation lands encroachment case to Karachi from Sukkur.

Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh granted the Sindh government’s plea and constituted a larger high court bench, comprised of Justice Iqbal Kalhoro, Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi and Justice Agha Faisal, to hear the case.

The government in its petition said that demolition of hundreds of thousands houses could create a human tragedy and pleaded for providing the people an alternate shelter before demolishing their homes.

“The high court’s Sukkur bench has ordered removal of encroachments from the irrigation lands on the banks of Indus river, while hundreds of thousands people have made their homes on the lands of the irrigation, forest and agriculture departments,” the government stated in its petition.

“The government working on a plan to provide an alternate place to affected people,” Advocate General Sindh informed the court and sought transfer of the case to Karachi from Sukkur bench.

The Chief Justice granted the government’s plea and constituted a larger bench to hear the case.