Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court imposed a fine of Rs5,000 on Karachi Development Authority’s director general for failing to remove encroachments from a park in Gulistan-e-Johar.

Justice Nadeem Akhtar, who headed a division bench, directed the DG to deposit the fine from his personal account with the Nazir of the court for failing to comply with its directives.

The judges observed that neither the encroachments were removed nor the compliance report was furnished within the stipulated time by KDA head despite his assurance and unconditional apology.

The court had earlier on Jan 25, this year, asked the director general to turn up before it and tendered unconditional apology for not complying with its earlier orders. He assured that the encroachments would be removed from the park.

The court was hearing the petition seeking removal of encroachments from the plot on ST-41 and 42 in Gulistan-e-Johar reserved for a park.

A non-government organization had moved the court, submitting that 55 residential apartments were built on an amenity plot and requested the court to order the relevant authorities to remove illegal encroachments.

Notice issued on petition against malpractices in land transfer, mutation

The Sindh High Court has issued notices to the federal and provincial authorities to file their respective replies to a petition seeking end of malpractices and corruption in transfer and mutation of lands.

Muhammad Yakub Kapadia had petitioned the high court seeking its directives for the relevant authorities to restructure the departments dealing with the maintenance of public and private properties in such a way to bring an end to the culture of corruption plaguing the nation.

A two-judge bench asked the respondent authorities to come up their replies to the petition before the next date of hearing.

The petitioner named the commissioners of the six districts of the city, land utilization committee’s head, Board of Revenue, federal finance secretary, chairman Federal Board of Revenue, ministry of housing and works, Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Defense Housing Authority (DHA) as respondents.

He submitted that deputy commissioners of the six districts of Karachi were appointed under the provisions of the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013 and were administratively responsible for maintaining the property coming within the jurisdiction of KMC.