Top court directs Sindh govt to rehabilitate nullah affectees within year

KARACHI: The Supreme Court bench has Thursday released the written order on compensating the affectees of Gujjar and Orangi nullahs

The Karachi registry bench of the top court, headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed, has written that reason cited by the Sindh government over lack of funds to rehabilitate the effectees, whose houses were demolished in the cleaning drive, is not acceptable.

Take every possible step to compensate them, the written order said.

With all basic utilities, the government is directed to resettle them within a year and for which the initial report must be furnished within two weeks from now.

Compensation of affectees in nullah cleaning drive is Sindh’s duty: SC

Yesterday during the hearing, the apex court justice during the hearing on Karachi encroachments said all the affectees of the city’s nullah cleaning drives that involved demolitions of houses must be compensated within a year, said.

It is the responsibility of the provincial government to rehabilitate the people who lost their houses amid cleaning drive, the top court told the Advocate General.

The affectees of Orangi, Gujjar and Mehmoodabad nullahs are to be compensated within a year, the SC order, however, it directed the chief minister of Sindh to personally furnish a report on the development within two weeks.

The Sindh government said they didn’t have the funds, noted SC, adding that it is not a satisfactory response.