Daily Times

Supreme Court (SC) directed Pakistan Works Department (PWD) Estate Office Karachi to stop asking families of in-service, retired and deceased federal government officials to vacate federal government quarters.

Chief Justice, Saqib Nisar issued this order after listening to affected families on the issue. The families were staging protest for justice outside SC Karachi Registry on Sunday. Justice Saqib Nisar heard the families out and assured them that he would issue a just verdict on this matter.

Estate Office PWD was ordered by CJP to stop any sort of proceeding till date of reopening set for July 31, 2018.

It is pertinent to mention here that Estate Office PWD had issued notices to these families to vacate houses situated in Pakistan Quarters, Jahangir Road, Martin Road, Jamsheed Quarters, Patel Para, Garden east and west, Jail Road, Lines Area, Federal Capital Area, Bath Island and Buffer Zone Shadman by August 10, 2018.

According to the details, around 10,000 families of in service, retired and deceased officials are living in these federal housing sites.

This step had been taken in the light of Supreme Court (SC) orders wherein it was decided by the Estate Office that families of in service, retired and deceased officials had to evict the land because their stay had exceeded the limit of one year. In addition, the occupants of houses and shops, built upon encroached land were also asked to demolish their structures.

According to government service rules, retired government officials and families of deceased officials have the right to stay for a year’s period. After the time lapses, they are liable to vacate such facilities.

SC on June 9, 2108 had directed Sindh High Court and lower courts to dispose of such pending cases within two months period.

On July 11, 2018, PWD vide print media issued notices to the occupants of these quarters’ sites for vacation of houses.

The government is working on a plan to build housing, flats and commercial projects on these places covering several thousand acres of land altogether.

PWD Works and Services Chief Engineer Nadeem Akhtar while confirming this step, said that compliance from dwellers in this respect was obligatory on directives of Estate Office PWD.

Meanwhile, an advocate representing affected families submitted a pray-application in the SC. The application stated that it would be a human tragedy if residents of these quarters were evicted. It further read that some of the residents had been living in the quarters for more than 70 years.

The application claimed that Estate Office PWD had misguided the SC and further stated that the Estate Office had wrongly deciphered the directives of SC. “The vacation notices are meant for those occupants who had built houses and shops after encroaching vacant land areas in these quarters’ areas,” read the application.

The advocate claimed that legal occupants of these areas were regularly paying government prescribed rent to Estate Office.

“Estate Officer Obaid-uddin has produced incorrect information before SC on this matter” read the application. The advocate, on behalf of legal occupants of these quarters, prayed SC to ascertain facts.

He claimed that Estate Office had issued a number of ownership papers to residents of these areas with recommendation for power, gas and water connections to utility entities.

Published in Daily Times, July 23^rd 2018.