The Jheel Park is spread over an area of 28 acres but 15 to 17 acres of its land was encroached upon over a period of 40 years which has left the park in a shambles. Drug peddlers and other criminal elements had been using the park as their sanctuary whereas the land mafia had sold away the grabbed land to different individuals.

The anti-encroachment operation involving some 150 personnel of the Parks Department began on Friday night and continued into Saturday. It is expected to complete on Sunday.

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal also inspected the operation for some time on Saturday and directed the officials concerned to retrieve every inch of the state-owned land from the encroachers.

He said that the people of the locality had been complaining of immoral and criminal activities by the encroachers, prompting the city government to take the legal action in the larger interest of citizens. He said the operation would enable the CDGK to develop the park into a fantastic recreational spot to be gifted to Karachiites.

He pointed out that the city government wasted no moment to launch the anti-encroachment drive since the park was given under its control just four days back.

Mr Kamal pledged that the city government would retrieve all its grabbed land across its jurisdiction in a similar manner.