KARACHI: Removal of encroachments along beaches planned
By Latif Baloch
KARACHI, Jan 16: The municipal administration of Keamari Town has decided to remove encroachments from the town’s beaches, particularly along the Hawkesbay strip where mangrove sites are being rapidly demolished.
A survey of the town shows that land-grabbing activity is in full swing and a vast area of mangrove sites in the coast of the town was being destroyed and being occupied and sold for commercial purposes by highly influential people.
When contacted, the Town Nazim, Hamayun Khan, admitted that land-grabbing was a chronic and one of the major problems in the town, which needed immediate solution of concerned government agencies.
According to him, nearly 70 per cent of the town’s land comes under jurisdiction of the KPT and the Revenue Department and it is the responsibility of both agencies to protect government land, which is being “forcibly occupied and sold” by interested quarters.
He said because of its vast land area, the town’s landscape had always attracted those who had vested interest in the development of land there.
The town nazim said that soon after taking over charge, he brought the matter into the notice of the relevant government departments for the removal of encroachments from public places.
Unless notified and authorized by the land management authorities, he said the town administration could not move on its own, saying that action would be taken accordingly.
Mr Hamayun said the town covered islands including the Shamspir, Baba and Bhit islands besides picnic spots along the city’s coastline, which included the Hawkesbay beach and scenic places such as the Mubarak Village.
But he argued that in the absence of a clear-cut land allotment policy and demarcation of land owned by villagers, disputes always took place between government agencies and residents over the ownership of the land.
He went on to say that the situation further aggravated due to duplication of documents. A number of people with the connivance of officials had received such fake documents and occupied valuable government land, he remarked.
Not only that, he said presently, vast areas of mangrove sites on the seaside were being destroyed and being used for commercial purposes by the land mafia.
When he was pressed to tell what remedial measures had he suggested as town nazim, he said he planned to launch a full-fledged anti-encroachment drive. But he maintained that the town administration had a limited mandate.
It could only remove encroachments that too with legal force and availability of required equipments and with the coordination of other land management agencies.
The nazim also suggested that a camp office should be established by the Revenue Department in the town for the demarcation of land and verification of legal documents.
Mr Hamayun was of the view that the local body system introduced by President Musharraf could not succeed without the cooperation of government agencies.
He regretted the indifferent attitude of the KPT in this regard, complaining that its management had always ignored the requests of the town municipal administration.
