HYDERABAD: The administration of Special Prison Nara is encroaching upon a main road of the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (Site) to raise its outer limit boundary wall, prompting Hyderabad SITE incharge to seek stoppage of illegal construction.

Foundation of the questionable outer wall was being raised clearly on a considerable stretch of the only SITE road on the prison’s outer side.

A drain was being constructed as well, reportedly by the irrigation department, on the fringes of the road that would render motorable space quite narrow for heavy vehicles carrying industrial goods and raw material to the industrial area.

Hyderabad SITE area was already in a dilapidated state for a long time, leading to an outcry by the leadership of industrialists, chambers and SITE association of Hyderabad. Despite commitments and announcement, no improvement work of note was seen in the area.

Hyderabad DC asks for verification of papers of SITE, Nara prison

The present issue came to fore on Sep 29 when Hyderabad SITE incharge estate engineer Aijaz Ali Umrani made a correspondence (copy available with Dawn) with the prison superintendent, seeking stoppage of construction of the boundary wall. He copied the letter to Sindh’s Site managing director, Syed Ahmed Fawad Shah, mentioning that the prison chief could contact the Directorate of Settlement, Survey and Land Records as well as the Sindh revenue department to go for re-measurement of the Nara jail.

In his letter, he gave background of the land allotted to SITE. He said that as per Sindh government’s revenue notification of June 19, 1953, survey Nos 46 & 168 were awarded to Site Limited in Deh Met Khan which was under illegal possession of the Nara jail. He said lands of Karia Sabu wah, Karia Narega, Wadhu Wah, Golimar Road were property of Site under the revenue department’s notification of May 19,1952. He said that on the request of the Nara prison administration, joint measurement of the said land was carried on Nov 28, 2002.

The survey department issued a site plan and declared that survey No 46 (4-30 acres) & survey No 168 (5.03 acres), totaling 9-33 acres in Deh Met Khan on the northern side of Nara jail and Phital Kario Nareja was not the property of Nara jail, but belonged to Site Hyderabad.

He said on the western side of jail, a piece of land of four acres was allotted by the Site head office to M/S Saleem on April 18, 2006 (plot no 29) and its physical possession was handed over to the party on May 18, 2006.

He informed that under instruction of the Sindh High Court Hyderabad circuit dated Oct 25, 2017 again a survey of Nara jail and other land pertaining to Site was carried out and as per the said report, previous measurement was found correct. “So, in the light of above facts construction of the boundary wall of Nara jail presently on front side is illegal,” the estate engineer wrote.

According to the incharge estate engineer, the Nara prison administration doesn’t allow construction of boundary wall to private owners of plot numbers P-29A and P-29A1 to raise boundary walls on their plots, although they were legitimate owners who bought it from Site limited and whenever they raise wall, the jail staff demolish it.

When Nara prison chief Faheem Memon was contacted, he said he would check whether the road was being encroached upon and added that boundary wall was being raised by the buildings department on the Nara jail administration’s advice. He said that he had spoken to the deputy commissioner of Hyderabad as some part of measurement of the prison’s land on other side was still pending.

Hyderabad DC Zainul Abiden told Dawn on Wednesday that the Nara prison chief had met him while the SITE MD had approached him to seek his office’s assistance to get work stopped on the Site’s road. He said he had asked Latifabad AC Saud Loond to verify papers of Site and the Nara prison, and submit a report.

The DC also stated that previously a complainant from the Hindu community met him to seek help in raising construction of a wall around his plot in Site area, which was not being allowed by Nara prison officials, although other plot owners on the same piece of land have built their buildings.

“After perusal of record brought in by the applicant and AC Latifabad’s report, I advised him to build boundary wall within the limits of his bona fide property. But when he started construction, the prison administration stopped it. The prison superintendent spoke to me, telling me not to intervene as it was a matter being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). But no details of such NAB inquiry or papers are shared with me so far,” the DC said.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2025