KARACHI: Burgeoning encroachments in Cattle Colony (Bhains Colony) is irking road users, including motorists and pedestrians, but the officials of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Anti–Encroachment Department, instead of taking action against encroachers, are sheltering them to mint money.
The dairy farms’ owners have narrowed down almost all the roads to half, which were not only being used for animals but also for dumping cattle waste.
Offices of some transporters are located at Road No 4 of Cattle Colony, including Warraich Goods Transport, Allah Tawakal Goods Transport and Bismillah Goods Transport, whose heavy vehicles were parked on the roadside, thus leaving little space for road users.
Moreover, an illegal weighbridge, namely Dastgir Kanta, had been built illegally on government land, allegedly in connivance with some KMC officials.
When asked as to how he managed to install the weighbridge on the public property, the owner, namely Resham Khan, said he had given bribe to KMC Anti-Encroachment Department’s Malir Zone official, adding that he was also giving extra bribe on a monthly basis.
He claimed that no one could take action against the illegal construction since he was paying bribes to concerned officials on time.
Abdul Hafeez, a road user, said that the road had become uneven as a high platform had been built for the weighbridge, which was causing severe difficulties for motorists. He said that during the last rainy season, a couple of trucks had been capsized due to the uneven road.
Another encroacher Abdul Rasheed, who had almost built five shops on the nullah by dismantling the drainage system along the illegal weighbridge, said that he would use his political influence if his illegally constructed shops were destroyed by the quarters concerned.
He said he had close association with a ruling party since a long time, which had been protecting his illegal constructed shops so far.
Talking to reporters, a local politician, while requesting anonymity, said that he could not intervene in such matters as it would cost him his vote bank in the constituency.
“The official quarters concerned are involved in promoting encroachment for their vested interests,” he said, adding that a businessman could not invest such a huge amount in establishing an illegal weighbridge at the KMC road, without conniving with officials.
He urged the government to take stern action against the encroachers and also the KMC officials who were involved in providing them shelter.
