Supreme Court slams KDA over inaction in illegal encroachments case

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday chided the Sindh government for failing to get thousands of amenity plots cleared of illegal encroachments in the city.

Resuming hearing of the case at the Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry, a two-judge bench comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Maqbool Baqar expressed annoyance at the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) for failing to clear public recreational places of illegal encroachments and 'china cutting' (illegal carving).

Justice Gulzar observed that there were still illegal encroachments in the metropolis. Hoteliers had encroached upon sidewalks, illegally constructed wedding venues were still functioning, the judge noted.

Director General KDA Saeed Siddiqui told the court that the institution did not have sufficient machinery to remove the encroachments.

If you don’t have machinery then shut down the [Karachi Development] Authority, remarked Justice Gulzar, irked by the official’s response.

The bench rejected the report submitted by the KDA in the case.

During the previous hearing of the case, on November 29, the KDA had informed the apex court that thousands of square yards of 35,000 amenity plots in the city had been taken over through 'china cutting'.

Supreme Court informed 35,000 plots encroached in Karachi

Court orders KDA, KMC and DCs to immediately evacuate occupied plots

It was also revealed that KDA land worth over Rs1 trillion was illegally occupied.

The court had then ordered the KDA, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, and Deputy Commissioners to immediately evacuate such plots within their mandated domains, and had directed the development authority to cancel allotments of welfare plots with immediate effect.