KARACHI - The Karachi Development Authority (KDA) has been preparing a comprehensive plan to tackle with the present encroachments in Karachi. Removal of the encroachment from the metropolis requires more time and it cannot be completed in the given period of two months.
KDA Director Samiuddin Siddiqui reveals this while talking to The Nation here on Wednesday. He told that the operation is carried out by the special task force of KDA on daily basis, adding that hundreds of illegal marriage halls were removed from the amnesty plots during last month. It is worth to mentioning here that Supreme Court a month ago had ordered KDA to vacate the all amnesty plots within two months.
Following the directives Karachi Development Authority had also initiated a massive crackdown against the encroachment on state’s land but after passage of a month, the operation slowed down due to political pressure.
Interestingly, during the drive KDA had taken soft action against majority illegal constructions on amnesty plots especially influenced sites as it was witnessed that KDA has not razed all structure on illegal occupied land.
Prejudiced action also witnessed in the anti-encroachment drive of KDA as several marriage halls and illegal housing projects were only partially dismantled as only elevation (front of building) were razed, however, further structure of such buildings exists remain in their original conditions.
An officer of Anti-Encroachment Team of KDA on condition of anonymity told that high ups of the authority has exempted hundreds of marriage halls and other housing schemes against any action. “Such plots were used by the influenced land mafia”. The influenced land mafia has run their business of marriage halls and housing schemes in several blocks of Gulistan-e-Johar, North Karachi, Surjani Town and other lands of KDA.
Similarly, Karachi Development Authority has not being allowed by political masters to take action against illegally occupied Goths at the land of KDA and therefore it failed to take indiscriminate action against illegal occupation of its land. The Goths established at various schemes of Karachi Development Authority are sold out by land grabbers to different people through forged documents but authority yet to be taken any action against illegal occupation and such influenced land grabbers.
It is worth to mentioning here that Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan Leaders raise the issues of illegal Goths in various protests and they alleged that KDA is taking biased action in the ongoing anti-encroachment drive.
Following the issues, Director General KDA Samiuddin Siddiqui told that the authority formulation a comprehensive plan to tackle with the present encroachment in Karachi. He further said that it is impossible to remove all kind of encroachment in a short time of two months given by the Supreme Court. “Removal of the encroachment from the metropolis requires time of years”, Siddiqui added. He said KDA will not tolerate any influence and take indiscriminate action against all sort of encroachment on its land.
Meanwhile, KMC and SBCA had not taken any action against illegal occupation on government land despite court orders to submit reports of their performance in the drive within two months.
