The Sindh High Court on Wednesday gave the civic, as well as law enforcement authorities, one week’s time to remove encroachments from district South’s thoroughfares and pavements.
A division bench, headed by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, expressed displeasure over the SSP South for failing to submit a report on compliance of its order regarding removal of illegal encroachments.
The court was hearing a petition filed by a civil rights activist, Ismail Shaheedi who moved the court against civic and law enforcement authorities over their failure to remove illegal encroachments from South district’s arteries.
The petitioner submitted shop owners, roadside vendors and operators of illegal parking encroached upon footpaths and roads in collusion with local administration and the police.
He said that pavements of the Regal Chowk, Akbar Road, Swami Narain Street, Hassan Ali Effendi Road, Narain Voljee Street, Hassan Ali Lane, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Bottle Gali and Light House were encroached upon. Due to these encroachments, traffic jam has become routine in these areas but civic authorities were reluctant to remove the encroachments, he added.
The petitioner submitted shop owners were allowed to occupy space in front of their shops, adding they pay extortion for their illegal installations and extension. He requested court to direct authorities concerned to remove the encroachments from these areas.
Observing that no compliance report so far has been submitted by the officials, the court directed SSP South and other official respondents to immediately remove all illegal encroachments from the roads and submit a compliance report within one week’s time.
