KARACHI, Jan 31: In a major move, the city government on Tuesday retrieved more than 25,000 square yards prized land situated along Sharea Faisal, near Karsaz from the clutches of a contractor who had set up five marriage lawns (Sabzazar) and a restaurant called ‘Mela’.

The demolition operation began in the wee hours of Tuesday on the orders of city Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, and by evening the dismantled structures and debris had been removed.

The marriage lawns and the restaurant were set up on the KWSB land. The board had initially handed over 15,000 square yards to its engineers and officers association in 1989 for launching welfare projects for KWSB employees.

However, the association’s club committee, which became independent after approving its own bye-laws, signed an agreement with a contractor, Malik Javed, in 1992 for two years for running marriage lawns.

The contractor had reportedly promised to construct the KWSB’s Club building and also to give some share from the income of the marriage lawns to the club committee.

However, a spokesman for the city government told Dawn that the contractor had only constructed a building for KWSB Officers’ Club behind the marriage lawns, but failed to undertake any other welfare project as pledged by him, and he minted money from marriage lawns and the Mela restaurant’s flourishing business during the last 13 years.

The contractor had also grabbed around 10,000 square yards more land of the KWSB situated in the periphery of the KWSB’s 9th-Mile offices, the spokesman added.

“Isn’t it an irony that water to the marriage lawns and the Mela restaurant was being provided by the KWSB free of cost and even the electricity charges were being paid by the KWSB,” he remarked, adding the KWSB managing director, Brig Iftikhar Haider, had already set up a committee to conduct a probe into the matter.

As the city nazim expressed his annoyance over misuse of the KWSB land, the KWSB’s Officers’ Club’s office-bearers and its management withdrew their agreement with the contractor recently.

Asked what plans the CDGK or the KWSB had chalked out for utilising the retrieved land, a senior official of the KWSB said the land might be utilized for commercial purpose once the plan is approved by the city nazim, and the income to be generated through the commercial ventures would help increase the KWSB income besides undertaking some welfare projects for KWSB employees.