KARACHI, Dec 2: The Sindh High Court restrained an unauthorizedly constructed marriage hall on Thursday from hosting any wedding function pending hearing of the Karachi Building Control Authority case against it.
The KBCA issued the owner of plot number 159-Q, Block 3, Kashmir Road, PECHS, a notice in May, warning him that he had unlawfully demolished the ground-plus-one-floor structure on his 1,000-square-yard residential plot. The construction work on a boundary wall, a reception room and flooring, then in progress, was also be put to commercial use, it warned.
The owner instituted a suit against the KBCA in the high court and obtained an inetrim stay order. The KBCA, which was put on notice subsequently, joined the issue and requested the court to direct the SHC nazir to inspect the site and see whether there were any violations.
KBCA counsel Shahid Jamil Khan submitted that the violative structures, under construction in May, had in the meanwhile been completed during the pendency of the stay order.
The nazir submitted his report, which confirmed the KBCA allegation, on Thursday and Advocate Shahid Jamil sought vacation of the interim order and permission for demolition of the unauthorized structure.
He said the plaintiff's claim that he had submitted an application under the new regularization notification issued by the city nazim was wrong. The authority had already rejected a regularization plan submitted by the owner.
The KBCA counsel also denied that the owner was being discriminated against. All violative marriage halls and lawns in the area were proceeded against indiscriminately, he stated. Justice Ataur Rahman restrained the owner plaintiff from holding or booking any marriage function till Dec 12.
CDGK RESTRAINED: The city district government was restrained from taking measures in pursuance of the auction of publicity rights scheduled by it for Dec 6.
Partially allowing a request by a licensed outdoor advertizer, Sajjad Haider, a bench, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Sayeed Ashhad and Justice Maqbool Baqar, observed that while it was not inclined to stay the December 6 auction, it would direct the CDGK not to take any step to transfer the publicity rights following the bidding.