KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday took notice of the illegal occupation of parks and playgrounds and directed the provincial authorities to hold an inquiry against those involved in the same.
The petition was filed by former mayor Naimatullah Khan. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed at the SC’s Karachi Registry ordered the Sindh chief secretary and law officer to hold an inquiry not only against land grabbers but also against those government officials who had helped them and sought a compliance report within a month.
The bench included Justices Maqbool Baqar and Munib Akhtar, also directed officials of the Karachi Development Authority and others to immediately remove the encroachments along Kashmir Road.
The court gave one month to the officials to submit a report in that regard and ordered to immediately clear encroachments from the park and also sought a report with pictures.
The bench expressed serious resentment over the authorities concerned for their failure to implement the directives of the apex court regarding removal of encroachments from amenity plots.
Justice Ahmed stated that Karachi looked like a big slum and it seemed that 90% of the city had been destroyed. He further asked the Sindh advocate general as to what the provincial government had done during the last 10 years for the development of the provincial metropolis and said that where the provincial government had spent Rs250 billion
The apex court observed that there was a time when even if one inch was illegally occupied, action would be taken against the perpetrators, however, now, buildings were being erected on land that was designated for parks, playgrounds and sewage canals. The bench remarked whoever wanted to construct illegal buildings on such land, could easily do so after paying a bribe.
Justice Ahmed deplored that this petition had been pending since 2010, but the authorities failed to make any progress.
He recalled that once action used to be promptly taken even if an inch of state land was encroached upon, but now buildings were being constructed on parks, playgrounds and drains.
“This beautiful provincial metropolis has been turned into the city of buildings,” he remarked.
The apex court lamented that the beauty of Burnes Road was tarnished. Moreover, the archaeology department had billions of rupees in funds and it needed to be held accountable.
The SC bemoaned the fact that there were no playgrounds on major roads of Karachi. The bench lamented that one of the biggest cities in the world was being subjected to such a poor treatment.
Earlier, trains could be seen from anywhere on Sharae Faisal, Justice Ahmed remarked, adding that now walls had been raised everywhere on the road, blocking the vision of surroundings.