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HYDERABAD, Aug 8: District Coordination Officer Aftab Ahmed Khatri on Wednesday directed the revenue department to issue legal notices to the individuals and government departments who had encroached upon the site allotted for the construction of a bus terminal at Hala Naka.
Mr Khatri said while presiding over a meeting at his camp office that the officers concerned of revenue department, Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) and town municipal administration of Hyderabad city taluka should conduct a joint survey of the site to resolve disputes over some portions of the allotted land to enable the contractor to start construction work within shortest possible time.
The meeting was informed that the terminal project to be built over 9.9 acres was approved by the government of Sindh in 1995 and Rs140 million work order was issued in 2003. The city council cancelled the contract in December 2006 after the contractor failed to start work within prescribed period but the contractor later got his contract restored by court.
He had, however, still not started work on the pretext of encroachments.
City Taluka Nazim Javed Jabbar told the meeting that Sindh police had occupied a portion of the site and planned to establish Baldia Police Station there and Rangers had erected flats within the limits of the site. The HDA, too, had crossed into the site establishing a lawn adjacent to the pumping station, he said and stressed that until and unless the encroachments were removed the TMA would not be able to get the work started.
The DCO, at another meeting with the officers of archaeological department, asked the officers to submit a report within a week after conducting a survey suggesting ways and means to remove encroachments from protected sites.
The meeting identified illegal occupation, especially at the tomb of Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro and in and around Pacca Qila, and discussed different ways to settle the issue without creating resentment among people.
