Illegal construction on Karachi's Hill Park ‘plot’ demolished

Published June 4, 2026 Updated June 4, 2026 09:01am
A man looks at the debris lying on a piece of land illegally carved out of Hill Park after anti-encroachment staff demolished the concrete structure and boundary wall in the wee hours of Wednesday.—Fahim Siddiqi / White Star
A man looks at the debris lying on a piece of land illegally carved out of Hill Park after anti-encroachment staff demolished the concrete structure and boundary wall in the wee hours of Wednesday.—Fahim Siddiqi / White Star

KARACHI: An anti-encroachment operation was carried out in Hill Park in the early hours of Wednesday morning in which an illegally constructed boundary wall built on a plot created through “unauthorised cutting of a hillside” was demolished.

Official sources said that the authorities stated that all unlawful structures in the surrounding area were cleared as part of the operation following directives issued by City Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab.

“The action has been conducted by anti-encroachment cell with teams from the land department actively participating in the enforcement drive. The encroached portions around Hill Park were fully removed to restore public land and prevent further illegal occupation,” said an official.

However, residents feared that the construction activity might resume again as the anti-encroachment staff had not razed the illegal construction to the ground.

Official suspended for issuing NOC

A separate administrative action has been taken against deputy director of the land department Muhammad Noman, who has been suspended from service.

According to an official order issued by the human resources department of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the suspended officer had previously issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for construction activities on the land within the Hill Park vicinity.

“Authorities have decided to proceed with a formal charge sheet against him as part of disciplinary proceedings,” said the official adding that the suspension is linked to irregular approvals that allegedly enabled unauthorised construction activity in the area.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026

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