Naimat Khan
KARACHI: Water Commission, appointed by the apex court and headed by former Justice Supreme Court Amir Hani Muslim Tuesday ordered that all newly constructed housing schemes, including Bahria town, should be demolished if they are found without being started without legalities.
The hearing of the commission held here in Karachi where Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) Director General Agha Masood Abbas informed it that the construction in Bahria Town was taking place without proper approval.
When head of the commission asked as why have any investigation not been kicked up against the town, the SBCA DG submitted a report has been submitted to the Sindh government against Bahria Town. Justice Muslim further asked as under what law was the report submitted?
The commission head then issued orders for the demolition of all illegally constructed buildings remarking, “The city has been destroyed under the guise of housing schemes.”
Abbas informed the commission that a notice has been issued to the Bahria Town administration in this regard.
Meanwhile, the local government secretary brought the matter of Karachi Development Authority’s (KDA) merger with SBCA to the court’s notice, citing that as the reason for the current administrative crisis faced by the metropolis.
The commission also ordered SBCA to investigate the issue of encroachments alongside rivers and nullahs in the city. “Only those who have obtained a lease for their dwellings will be given compensation,” the retired justice ordered.
Upon this, Karachi Mayor Waseem requested the commission to provide compensation to the residents of Gujar nullah area. He said it would be a difficult undertaking to make the residents vacate their homes, to which the commission replied that “nothing is difficult and courage must be shown”.
The Karachi mayor said that nearly 500 nullahs are lying polluted due to the carelessness of the residents, following which the commission instructed the internal affairs secretary to implement Section 144 against dumping garbage and waste into the nullahs.
Following the proceedings, the members of SC-appointed commission along with the Karachi mayor and heads of all relevant authorities visited the polluted river sites and expressed displeasure over their decrepit state.
On Saturday, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had expressed his displeasure over the heaps of garbage that have become a regular feature of Karachi’s cityscape and ordered the relevant authorities to ensure that all trash is removed within the week.
