KARACHI: The Supreme Court is set to hear numerous important matters pertaining to unauthorised and illegal construction, encroachments of amenity plots, conversion of residential properties into commercial ones and the issue of two private hospitals allegedly running their health facilities on amenity plots.

A petition filed in 2014 seeking possession of Hindu Gymkhana, a matter about demolition of a 15-storey building known as Nasla Tower, applications about rehabilitation of affectees dislocated due to the anti-encroachment drive in Karachi and the cases regarding the Karachi Circular Railway are also fixed for hearing.

Nasla Tower issues, Hindu Gymkhana, KCR among the cases on cause list

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed will take up the cases at the apex court’s Karachi registry for hearing on Monday and Tuesday. Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed is the other member of the bench.

There are 118 civil miscellaneous applications (CMAs) filed to either become interveners or impleading parties in the main petition filed by former city Nazim Naimatullah Khan in 2010, seeking SC’s intervention to get the amenity plots vacated from ‘land mafia and political parties’ in the city, are also listed in the cause-list issued by the deputy registrar of the apex court at the Karachi registry.

Notices have already been issued to the federal, provincial, cantonment, local administrations and other authorities concerned about the hearing to be held on Dec 27 and Dec 28.

The CMAs filed about resettlement and compensation for affectees of Gujjar, Orangi and Mehmoodabad nullahs, KCR project and the show-cause notices earlier issued to the South City Hospital and Ziauddin Hospital, located in Clifton, for allegedly running their health facilities on the lands meant for amenity purposes, are also fixed for hearing.

The applications filed against alleged illegal conversion of residential plots, unauthorised and illegal constructions across the city, alleged commercial activities on premises of Askari Park, wedding halls on the premises of Civil Aviation Authority near Karachi airport and water issues in Defence Housing Authority are also scheduled to be taken up by the apex court.

The applications seeking removal of encroachments from ST/amenity plots of Karachi Development Authority, encroachments on government land in Jacobabad and applications about Hyatt Regency Hotel and alleged constructions on the premises of Karachi Gymkhana and restoration of Kidney Hill Park and Aladdin Park as well as an application filed in 2017 regarding the death of five infants due to malnutrition and diseases in Tharparkar and lack of health facilities at Civil Hospital in Mithi are also made part of the cause-list.

The matters about alleged unauthorised construction of malls (Com 1, Com 3, Com 4, Com 5) adjacent to the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park in Clifton, allegations of corruption against the officers of the Sindh Building Control Authority, computerisation of revenue record, delay in making the Zulfikarabad oil terminal operational, setting up of food street on Burnes Road and parking issues on the premises of the Sindh High Court are also to be taken up for hearing.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2021