HYDERABAD, Sept 29: The deputy registrar of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, Mr Ghulam Mustafa, on Wednesday submitted inspection report before the court in respect of encroachments outside the Civil Hospital Hyderabad.

He stated that encroachments had been razed to the ground and a hotel was established near the main gate of the hospital and possibility of footpath being encroached upon could not be ruled out.

He said he visited the area after the court passed an order on a constitutional petition, questioning encroachments around the civil hospital and Noor Mohammad High School.

The court official was accompanied by Iqbal Memon, a high court official, the taluka officer of the TMA city Shahid Ali, SHO Market police station, assistant director anti-encroachment and A.B. Channa, the petitioner.

The deputy registrar said the encroachments had been removed on September 24 as stated by Mohammad Ramzan, assistant director anti-encroachment and debris was lying on the footpath.

He said one Abdul Rehman Korejo was present there and informed the official that he had been running his hotel for the pat 25 years which had been demolished by the TMA authorities.

He said he had obtained permission from the municipal authorities and produced copies of permission/license.

The official said there was no sufficient space to run hotel as claimed by Mr Korejo until the footpath was occupied or encroached upon.

He said another hotel existed near the gate of the civil hospital which was run by Ghulam Rasool Memon, who informed that he was tenant of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and was regularly paying the rent.

He provided a copy of agreement as well as rent receipt for July 2005.

The official mentioned that the space for the hostel being run by Ghulam Rasool was not sufficient and possibility of footpath being occupied could not be ruled out.

He said on the eastern corner of the footpath there was a fruit juice cart owned by one Kamran, son of Jalaluddin, who said that they were doing the business since last 20 years.

A small mobile pan cabin was also operated by one Liaquat, son of Zafar, who appeared to be a disabled and aged person.

He said he was earning his livelihood since last 22 years.

There was another mobile pan cabin, run by one Zahid for the last 20 years.

Two mobile cabins existed, one on footpath and the other on road adjacent to footpath in front of hospital but both of them were closed.

The official visited the Noor Mohammad High School where chairs and wooden benches were lying but no one was present to claim them.

A mobile cabin was run by Rafiq, son of Abdul Latif, who said that they were running the cabin since last 10 years.

CHH Medical Superintendent Dr Khalid Qureshi submitted a letter before the court which was earlier sent to the TMO and SHO Market police station, stating that despite orders of the court dated April 20, encroachments around boundary walls of the hospital still existed and encroachers were doing their business illegally in violation of the court order.

He said encroachments around hospital’s boundary walls were creating problems for patients and pedestrians.

The petitioner said encroachers had occupied footpath on both sides of the road of the Government Noor Mohammad High School and the civil hospital where they had set up their hotels and pushcarts, causing great trouble to patients, attendants and passengers.