End all commercial activities on military land: SC
Islamabad: j us ticegulz ar ahmed of the Supreme Court has ordered the closure of all commercial activities being carried out on military lands. While presiding over a meeting on the implementation of the court’s orders on the removal of encroachments in Kara chi, he also ordered the immediate removal of parking lots established outside the restaurants along Rashid Minhas Road as well as tables and chairs placed on footpaths and service roads.
These major decisions were made ina review meeting of Karachi’s anti encroachment operation. chaired by justice Ahmed, the meeting was also attended by Local Government secretary, Karachi police chief, Municipal Commissioner Dr Saifur Rehman, the focal person of Chief Secretary, ofic ia ls of kara chi development Authority (KDA), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Civil Aviation Authority and senior oficials of Cantonment Board and other agencies.
Justice Ahmed asked the authorities to detach Karachi’s Master Plan Department from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and place it directly under the provincial government.
CINEMA DEMOLITION
The meeting also ordered the immediate demolition of a cinema, Nueplex, constructed on military estate on Rashid Minhas Road as well as demolition of walls built in front of Dolmen Mall on Sea View Road in Clifton.
“Were these walls constructed to create a separate route for certain people?” asked Justice Ahmed. He also ordered the removal of parking spaces outside the buildings on Korangi Road.
While ordering suspension of all commercial activities from military lands and removal of the cinemas built there immediately, Justice Ahmed said that illegal constructions would not be allowed no matter how inluential anyone was, adding that it had been decided that these lands would be vacated.
Directing to hand over the master plan of Karachi to the Sindh government, Justice Ahmed remarked that SBCA and other institutions had ruined Karachi.
CITY’S MASTERPLAN
He said that the provincial government should study the city’s master plan, take it into consideration and start new planning.
Apparently referring to federal government departments, the Sindh administration complained that several institutions were not cooperating, to which Justice Ahmed ordered all the institutions to cooperate.