KARACHI, March 28: The Sindh High Court directed the Karachi district coordination officer on Friday to appear in person on April 8 and explain the correct position and status of the land situated in Gutter Baghicha and the city government’s plans in respect of it.

The direction was made by a division bench, consisting of Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jafri, at the end of Friday’s proceedings on nine writ petitions filed by as many buyers of “industrial” plots measuring 1,000 to 1,200 square yards in Metropolitan Industrial Zone, KMC Sewage Farm, Manghopir Road, commonly known as Gutter Baghicha. The petitioners claimed that they bought the industrial plots in a public auction conducted by the city government for prices ranging from Rs400,000 to Rs500,000. They also paid 25 per cent of the price as required by the rules but were not being transferred possession of the plots allotted to them.

The city government counsel, Manzoor Ahmed, submitted that a direct petition challenging the sale of the Gutter Baghicha land had been filed in the Supreme Court by a citizen (Amber Ali Bhai) in its original human-rights jurisdiction.

The petitioner has alleged before the apex court that precious land, which was meant for use as park, has been sold away at throwaway prices.

The petitioner has also challenged the conversion of amenity plots into industrial plots. Another 128 more plots have been carved out for sale by auction to fetch more than Rs40 million to the city government, according to the petitioner.

The bench observed that the nine petitions before it could not be decided without ascertaining the city government’s position and plans in respect of the land in dispute pending the disposal of the human-rights petition by the Supreme Court and asked the DCO to appear before it on April 8.