The KMC anti-encroachment department operations continued in districts Central, East and Korangi on Sunday. In District Central, the anti-encroachment teams worked near the motorcycle market in North Karachi, Liaquatabad No 10, Firdous Shopping Center, Sector 11-D in New Karachi, Gulbahar and Golimar in Nazimabad. KMC Anti-encroachment Senior Director Bashir Siddiqui has said most encroachments are in District Central – which is the city’s biggest district. He claimed that 70% of the district had been cleared. In District East, operations were conducted around Rab Medical Centre on Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani Road. In District Korangi, the operation was on 12,000 Road from Korangi No 5 to Babar Market. KMC officials, equipped with heavy machinery and accompanied by police officials, also carried out the anti-encroachment operation on the banks of Gujjar Nala in Gulberg area. Shaukat Siddiqui, a senior KMC official, told the media that initially soft encroachments were being demolished. However, residents were less than pleased with the drive during which the boundary walls of some houses were razed. Area residents said such a drive was also carried out a few years ago. They claimed that at the time, they were instructed to move their houses back by 15 feet. Now officials have increased that number to 30 feet, they said. Residents said K-Electric (KE) had installed meters at their homes and that they were all registered voters for the past 30 to 35 years. Many of them questioned that if their houses were built on encroached land, then why did KE install meters there and why where their votes registered on those addresses.
