KARACHI: High Court tells city govt to restore PECHS road
By Shujaat Ali Khan
KARACHI, March 7: The Sindh High Court asked the city district government to restore a 40-feet wide road in the PECHS and report compliance within a month. Disposing of a petition moved by two residents of the housing society, a division bench, comprising Justices Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Maqbool Baqar, directed the CDGK and the Jamshed Town nazim to ensure and supervise the demolition of over 200 shanty dwellings raised by encroachers and illegal occupants on the wide lane between two rows of houses in Block 6 of the Society.
The demolition operation would be carried out by the Karachi Building Control Authority and the city government would guarantee police assistance.
The city government may also seek assistance from the rangers, the bench observed. According to the petitioners, the encroachments had blocked access to their houses.
The bench expressed its surprise over working of the municipal administration when the CDGK counsel said in a statement that the illegally occupied land was not demarcated as a road. The PECHS master plan showed the place as a road. The KBCA record also supported the petitioners’ contention. The bench observed that the land belonged to the PECHS and the CDGK, and the latter should not have been oblivious to any encroachment on it and indifferent to its obligations in this behalf.
KBCA counsel Shahid Jamil Khan said that the encroachments started about 20 years ago and continued to increase as no civic agency took notice or moved against the encroachers. Today the entire stretch rows of houses numbered 64/1 and 65/1 in the Society’s Block 6 was fully occupied, the KBCA submitted.
USED GHEE CANS: The Sindh High Court issued a show cause notice for March 22 to to alleged contemnors purchasing and repacking edible oil and ghee in used tin cans.
The petitioner non-governmental organization submitted that it found in the course of a survey that certain oil and ghee manufacturers and dealers were using injurious containers despite a restraint order passed by the high court. He requested the court to ask its nazir to look into the matter and submit a report.
A division bench, comprising Justices Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Mohammad Athar Saeed, issued notices to respondents to show cause why they should not be proceeded against for contempt.
DETENTION PLEA: A petition challenging unlawful confinement was disposed of on Tuesday when the Sindh High Court was informed that the alleged detainee had been released.
Ghulam Mohammad was said to be in the custody of an intelligence agency, which released him on March 1. His counsel, Noor Naz Agha, informed the court that he was picked up by police in November 2005, and was later handed to the agency. He was kept blindfolded in a dark small room. Torture has left him in a poor mental and physical condition, though he had done no wrong nor any case was registered against him.
A division bench, comprising Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Zia Pervez, disposed of the petition as infructuous after recording the counsel’s statement that the detainee had returned home.
Meanwhile, Justice Ms Yasmeen Abbasi issued notice to the town police officer for March 13 in a petition alleging harassment by the Gulshan-i-Iqbal police.
Abdul Hadi, petitioner, moved the court alleging that his cousin, Qari Abdul Hai, was presently confined in Multan jail but the Gulshan-i-Iqbal police were making inquiries about him. He said he was being harassed and his residence had been raided several times. He alleged that Rs 50,000 were being demanded to let him off the hook.
