KARACHI, Oct 4: A contractor got more than a dozen houses close to the Karachi Grammar School playground in Jutland area through his hired labourers without serving any legal notice to the occupants of the properties in advance.

The labourers carried out a ruthless operation to demolish the houses. While three of the houses were completely razed to earth, the others were partially damaged. Police and rangers provided escort to the contractor’s demolition team.

According to a press release, issued by the UC-8 of Jamshed Town, occupants of the demolished and affected houses, located in the west of the playground, suffered loss of property as well as valuables to the tune of millions of rupees.

It has been pointed out in the release that Army Welfare Trust had, for the past few months, been trying to take over land in the old ground of the school and that the matter had been referred to City Nazim Naimatullah Khan by the NGOs operating in the area. The concerned UCs were also approached but the matter could not be resolved.

In this regard, provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Abdul Rauf Siddique intervened to settle the issue though in vain.

Meanwhile, the Nazim of Jutland Lines UC, Mehfooz-un-Nabi Khan has expressed concern over attempts to occupy the land illegally and said that the entire land towards the north of Mubarak Shaheed Road had been transferred to Lines Area Development Project in 1976. —PPI