KARACHI, April 4 All illegal structures on 150-acre land in Ahsanabad and its adjoining localities were demolished in a five-hour operation carried out by city government officers and staff, escorted by law-enforcement agencies personnel, on Saturday.
Led by Additional EDO Revenue Matanat Ali Khan, the operation was supervised and monitored by officers of the city government`s enforcement cell, municipal services, works & services and other departments. Heavy machinery was employed to carry out the major operation.
According to the city government, dozens of concrete structures, hutments and makeshift houses were raised by illegal occupants of the land under the patronage of “land mafia”, which was resisting attempts to remove the illegal structures.
DCO Karachi Javed Hanif had visited the area along with officials of the enforcement cell on Friday night to assess the situation. During his visit, agents of the land mafia reportedly fired shots at his vehicle. City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal took serious notice of the incident and ordered the revenue department to retrieve the state-owned land by demolishing all the illegal structures.
The operation was started at 11am on Saturday. The demolition team using heavy machinery, bulldozed all the structures while the area police and personnel of other law-enforcement agencies provided security to the city government officers and staff. No untoward incident was, however, reported till the operation was completed at about 4pm.
The city government has also chalked out a strategy to prevent illegal construction on the retrieved land. “Anyone found indulging in such activities would be booked and arrested, and those found guilty of illegally occupying the state-owned land would be dealt with severely,” said officials of the city government.
They said that mukhtiarkars had been told to keep an eye on encroachers and check illegal construction activity in their respective areas. The city government has announced that operations against encroachers in its jurisdiction will continue.
Meanwhile, acting nazim of Shah Faisal Town has ordered removal of the encroachments blocking roads in the town`s limits to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
He directed the department concerned to take immediate measures in this regard, and warned that any resistance against the anti-encroachment operation would be put down forcefully.
Operation against illegal hydrants
SITE Town has planned another operation against illegal hydrants, according to a statement issued by the town administration.
A meeting of the town`s council on Saturday decided to take strict action against the elements indulging in the illegal sale of water. It noted that a concocted FIR had been lodged by “water mafia” against the town`s municipal officer for supervising an operation against an illegal hydrant, and decided to make presentations to the Sindh governor, chief minister and other authorities for the withdrawal of the FIR.
Through a resolution, the council members expressed solidarity with the TMO and demanded withdrawal of the FIR lodged against him.—Agencies