Daily Times

KARACHI: Marriage halls ‘illegally’ built on amenity plots in the city were destroyed on Saturday as the anti-encroachment drive by Karachi Development Authority (KDA) continued on the sixth day.

According to the KDA officials, The District Municipal Corporation in Korangi area of Karachi has sought action against seventeen illegal marriage lawns in the area.

In this regard, the Chairman of Municipal Corporation has forwarded a letter to the Director General of Karachi Development Authority, Senior Director Anti-Encroachment, SSP Anti-Encroachment and Deputy Commissioner of District Korangi.

They told in their letter that marriage halls have been constructed in their areas through china-cutting, it is a practice in which plots allocated for public amenities are sliced to construct commercial and residential properties that are sold off for huge profits.

As official told that they faced confrontation while demolishing the reportedly illegally constructed marriage halls even the authorities also received threats from those involved in encroaching the amenity land.

However, the officials said, they would not come under any pressure during their task against structures illegally constructed on amenity plots.

On other hand KDA officials said that they demolished the marriage hall called Lalazar, in Gulshan-e-Iqbal over orders by the Supreme Court Another such structure, Sara Lawn, was also demolished to the ground. Sara Lawn, situated on University Road in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, was demolished earlier, however since it was being reconstructed, KDA teams had to take action again.

According to the additional director of KDA, they will file cases against owners who were getting their demolished buildings reconstructed illegally. He added orders from the apex court would be followed at all costs.

According to sources, these marriage lawns have been built after China-cutting of amenity plots worth more than one billion rupees. Therefore, they have demanded action be taken against land mafia.

Published in Daily Times, December 3^rd 2017.