Apex court wants illegal buildings on amenity plots demolished

Karachi: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday ordered the Karachi municipality and other district corporations to get 35,000 amenity plots that are illegally occupied vacated within the next two months as part of measures to restore the metropolitan city to its former glory.

The apex court judges expressed their grave concerns over the apathetic response of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) chief that saw illegal buildings built on amenity plots across the city.

“It is too much now, we shall not allow any one to play with this city,” Justice Gulzar Ahmad said during a hearing of a case involving illegal construction on amenity plots.

“Don’t you feel ashamed of the fact that the plots are being encroached under your very nose and you are quite insensitive to it?” the judge asked, scolding the officers.

Justice Ahmad said in the past, Karachi looked like a European city and people then preferred to visit Karachi instead of London.

Recalling the time of former military dictator Ayub Khan in the 1960s, Justice Ahmad said a rigorous campaign against the encroachment was carried out then, resulting in a neat and clean city.

Justice Ahmad also ordered the officials to produce the details of the amenities plots in accordance with the original masterplan of the city.

The KDA officials told the court that over the past two days, 27 buildings constructed on amenity plots had been demolished.

The apex court also ordered municipal institutions to cancel all the allotments of amenity plots and demolish any buildings constructed on them.

The court further said that all the plots which were allotted under the ‘China cutting’ illegal schemes should also be cancelled.

The Supreme Court was annoyed of the absence of the KDA chief, who did not appear in the court on the pretext of illness.

The court warned the director-general of the KDA to appear in the next hearing, failing which he will be summoned through a warrant.