Karachi: Land-grabbing in Gutter Baghicha condemned

[Naveed Yaseen]

For the past one month, a group, allegedly part of the local government, has taken over the land allocated for the Gutter Baghicha Park project and has started illegal construction on it, said Nisar Baloch, an activist of Trans-Lyari, at a press conference on Monday at the Karachi Press Club.

Baloch said that EDO Revenue Karachi Sajjad Hussain Abbasi visited the area on the Manghophir road near Old Golimar earlier this month along with various social activists and media personnel, and observed the illegal work being carried out on the land.

Trans-Lyari activists stated that activists from the area and the police officials have informed higher officials about the situation but nothing has been done so far to remove the encroachers.

The activists held a major political party responsible for the illegal take-over of the land and said that no action is being taken against them as the Sindh government is afraid of them.

“In 1993, some officials of the Karachi Municipal Cooperation (KMC) secretly allocated themselves 10 acres land of the officers cooperative housing society. However, in 2001 the Chief Secretary Sindh cancelled all the allotments. Then in 2002, the Federal Government gave orders to build a 480 acre park in Gutter Baghicha, whose proposal was given by the former city nazim. Despite these orders, illegal houses are being constructed on the land instead of the park,” said Baloch.

The activists also said that the Sindh government seem helpless in front of the party and have no writ or control over the city.

“We appeal to the Chief Minister and the local ministers along with the D.G ranger and the I.G Sindh to take notice of the illegal construction.

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