KARACHI, May 1: Girl students from areas near Khajji ground, Mohammadabad and Waheedabad go all the way to Old Golimar to attend their school because police have illegally occupied a primary school for girls since 1995.

Following the police operation at Khajji ground, the then government decided to set up a new police station, called “Rizvia society police station”, dividing the jurisdiction of the Gulbahar police station, said Al-Haj Shamimuddin, a former councillor of Gulbahar, and secretary-general of the Sindh Democratic Alliance.

“In this way, an ideally constructed building on a plot measuring more than half an acre meant for the primary girls school was taken over by the police,” he recalled.

The former councillor said that nobody could question the wisdom of having a police station in the area, but, he added, it should not be constructed by occupying a school.

In 1987, the defunct Karachi Metropolitan Corporation adopted a resolution titled “Community Complex Khajji Ground” envisaging a host of facilities for the area. The plan envisaged lawns, community centre, offices, hotel, parking-lots, shops, library, park, girls school, boys school, dispensary and sport grounds.

According to the resolution, cost of over Rs 200 million was estimated for development work at Khajji ground which was supposed to be completed in over two years.

Following completion of development work, the KMC would continue to look after the project, the resolution further held.

Though facilities, like dispensary and schools were constructed over the years, but none of units delivered the benefits to the tax-payers.

However, “when the city was faced with the worst type of law and order situation during the “Karachi operation”, the entire Khajji ground project suffered immensely”, Al-Haj Shamimuddin recalled.

Consequently, the premises of girls school were also misused, he said.

Later on in a reactionary step, the same school premises were handed over to the police and a new police station sprung up.

The member of the provincial assembly belonging the Muttahida Quami Movement, Moin Khan, representing Gulbahar and adjoining areas, was of the view that school premises be vacated by the police.

“The premises be put to use for the educational activities for which the building was originally meant,” the lawmaker added.

After consultations within the party ranks over the issue, he said his party would float the issue at the floor of the provincial assembly.

Several parents lamented the police for occupying the school building causing hardships to small girls.

Residents send their girls to different schools in the surrounding areas of Usmania Colony, Rizvia Society and Pak Colony, etc.

However, police were of the view that their presence has brought a sense of security in the area, following the notorious reputation Khajji ground was known for.

The police record shows that 26 police stations are established at government and semi-government buildings other than those of the police department.

The record does not show whether the police have illegal possession of these buildings as these building are neither rented, nor these are the property of the police department.

The police department issues notifications to establish a police station without awarding funds to purchase land and to build a structure. All such police stations have been operating at lands which have been encroached upon, sources said.