KARACHI                 -              The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday halted the de­molition of Karachi’s historic Metropole Hotel located near the Shahrah-e-Faisal.

The SHC judge presided the hearing on the petition of ad­vocate Muhammad Kamran Sher.

The petition has made the various officials respondents in the case.

The petitioner maintained that they have their shops inside the Metropole Hotel and the administration has denied giving any compen­sation as an alternative to shops.

At which, the SHC not only issued stay order over the de­molition of Metropole hotel but, also barred authorities from selling the hotel.

Last year in September, the Sindh government had an­nounced to acquire the land of Karachi’s Metropole Hotel to construct a park for chil­dren and elderly people.

The decision came dur­ing a meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah today.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Local Gov­ernment Syed Nasir Shah, the CM’s Advisor Murtaza Wahab, Chairperson P&D Nahid Shah, and other offi­cials.

The chief minister said the land of the Metropole Hotel was located at the conver­gence of four important and busy thoroughfares where traffic volume remains con­siderably high almost round the clock.

“The construction of any high-rise building on the land of the hotel would cause fur­ther traffic congestion in the area and would create seri­ous environmental issues,” he added

The hotel was built in the late 1950s at the centre of Ka­rachi.