KARACHI, Dec 22: The Sindh High Court issued the advocate-general a notice on Thursday when the Karachi Building Control Authority submitted before a division bench that it was unable to demolish an unauthorized structure due to police failure to provide assistance.

The building is situated in the Paper Market.

A KBCA deputy controller stated in his report that the authority had prepared a demolition plan on court orders but the Kharadar and Saddar police declined to extend any help despite repeated requests.

He said police assistance was required because the building was occupied and the occupants were likely to put up resistance.

KBCA counsel Shahid Jamil Khan submitted that the denial of police assistance was one of the recurring problems faced by the authority in discharging its functions and complying with court orders. In the absence of its police station, it had to depend on an agency over which it had no control and which was reluctant to provide it help.

Other problems brought to the court notice every now and then were lack of magisterial powers and shortage of staff. The authority had only a 30-strong demolition squad, most of which consisted of old employees. It also was not equipped with demolition machinery and the entire work had to be done manually.

The bench, which comprised Justices Mushir Alam and Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery, directed that a notice be issued to the advocate-general for Jan 18 to consider the matter thoroughly.

DOCTORS APPEAL: Another division bench, comprising Justices Mohammad Azfal Soomro, took up an appeal moved by Doctors Akmal and Arshad against their conviction by an anti-terrorism court for aiding and abetting terrorists.