Karachi: The Supreme Court (SC) has directed all provincial and local governments, along with cantonment boards, to continue the anti-encroachment drive in the amenity areas of Karachi, a news source reported.
The bench members have strictly directed the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) Chief Director General Iftikhar Qaimkhani to fully implement the court’s orders. The court pointed out that several multi-storey buildings in the city lack water lines or lifts, and that Saddar is saturated with illegal parking areas. Thereby, the bench members asked the SBCA chief to start an operations against such encroachments, including those in Saddar. In response, Qaimkhani assured that operation will begin in Saddar in near future.
Meanwhile, the SC bench gave two weeks to Pakistan Railways to ensure land retrieval along the tracks of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR). The bench directed that authorities should hand over the land to the provincial government after retrieval. Additionally, the justices ordered that KCR should be made functional after a month.
The SC bench also directed the Karachi commissioner to eliminate illegal multi-storey buildings from several areas of the city. However, it added that affected residents or shopkeepers should be compensated. Similarly, the bench ordered Rangers DG and Sindh Police Inspector General to remove all encroachments on the footpaths of the city. They have been directed to submit a compliance report in the next session.
Samra Zulfiqar, a real estate analyst at Zameen.com, is passionate about finding projects that offer buyers the best returns. Her keen insights spotlight the market’s most promising opportunities.
