KARACHI (Wednesday Dec, 12, 2018): Waseem Akhtar the Mayor of Karachi said today that the city authorities have identified six districts for the ongoing anti-encroachment operation in the metropolis.
The encroachments in these districts will be removed in a systematic manner and any amenity plots illegally occupied will be evacuated, he told reporters outside the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry.
“Plans of what have been done and what we are going to do have been submitted in the court. The top court has issued clear orders after which operation against illegal wedding halls and buildings on drains will be conducted”, he informed.
“When the Supreme Court issues an order every institution comes under it”, he said.
Waseem Akhtar added that they do not want to cause trouble for anyone no matter what language they speak. “We do not want to finish anyone’s business”, he added.
“We will not let land grabbers return. We will make arrangements for those who were on rent and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) is looking into compensation for those affected due to the operation”, he said.
Criticising opposition parties, the mayor questioned where all the seasoned politicians had gone! “Where are the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf politicians who sit on television screaming? Where is Farooq Sattar who was crying that Karachi mayor and KMC are being cruel?”
He further said, “Encroachments were only removed from Saddar and Empress Market. A request for Rs200 million has been made to remove rubble from footpaths. The court has ordered the Sindh government to release the funds as soon as possible”.
Criticizing other political parties once again, he said that if any party was sincere then the encroachments would not have reached this state today.
“More than 75 per cent of the city has been encroached upon and 50 per cent of the encroachments have become kachi abadis”. “All the political parties are involved in this,” he alleged.
“All politics aside, Karachi has been ruined. Everyone comes to Karachi and thinks it is okay to set up businesses on footpaths. Till when will this continue? We have to set our city right”.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court issued orders to continue the anti-encroachment drive in the metropolis. During the hearing, the federal and provincial government and Waseem Akhtar submitted a report on the ongoing Supreme Court-mandated anti-encroachment operation in the city.
In the report, the federal, Sindh and civil government agreed to continue the operation in the city as per the orders of the honourable supreme court.