The Sindh High Court has sought details from the provincial chief secretary and Karachi commissioner about the resettlement plan and policy for the payment of compensation to persons affected by demolition drives along Gujjar and Orangi nullahs.
The details were sought after a two-member bench, comprising Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Rashida Asad, was informed by the relevant deputy commissioner that Rs15,000 were to paid to each affected resident as rent for alternative accommodations for a period of two years.
“By that time, the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme will be inaugurated by the federal government and the affected residents will be provided accommodation there on priority basis,” he said.
At that, the court pointed out that Rs15,000 were insufficient to meet the affected persons’ needs, and inquired who had leased the land to the residents along the nullahs.
“The land was leased by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC’s) katchiabadis department,” the deputy commissioner told the court.
This led to the court making the observation that while the KMC’s katchiabadis department was a government institution, the officials had leased out the land to secure votes for various political personalities.
The counsel’s petitioner then moved the court to direct the relevant authorities to t suspend demolition drives along the two nullahs until the government issued a clear policy on the removal of encroachments, resettlement of affected residents and the payment of compensation to them.
“The court cannot do so,” remarked Justice Rizvi, and sought details from the Sindh chief minister and Karachi commissioner on the policy for the payment of compensation to persons affected by the demolitions and the provision of alternative accommodation to them.
