KARACHI/MITHI: While directing local authorities to continue the ongoing anti-encroachment operation in accordance with the law, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Wednesday asked the Sindh government to provide a grant of Rs200 million to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) for debris removal.

The chief justice, who was heading a three-judge SC bench at its Karachi registry, also ordered the KMC, Karachi Development Authority and Sindh Building Control Authority to issue a six-week notice to occupants of residential units built on parks and amenity plots before their demolition and asked the Sindh High Court to decide matters related to amenity plots within 15 days.

Earlier, a report was placed before the bench claiming that the federal and provincial law officers and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar had arrived at a consensus over some recommendations for the ongoing drive against encroachment. The report said the authorities agreed that the drive must continue under the mayor’s supervision in accordance with the court order while the Sindh government reiterated its pledge to rehabilitate affected shopkeepers of Empress Market and its surrounding areas.

The report explained that the Karachi commissioner had asked the Sindh government to provide a Rs200 million grant to the KMC for removal of debris from Empress Market and its surroundings. However, advocate general Salman Talibuddin argued that the federal government, too, should extend financial support and argued that the land had been encroached upon due to the KMC’s negligence. The mayor denied the allegation. The AG also said local authorities were using the name of the apex court while demolishing the houses.

Pays visit along with Sindh chief minister to Thar coalfield, hospitals and other facilities in desert

The mayor reiterated the pledge that the KMC would not pull down any residential structure other than those built on parks and amenity plots without issuing the residents its notice 15 days in advance. The chief justice directed the KMC to issue notice to them six weeks before demolishing the illegal structures.

Justice Faisal Arab, a member of the bench, observed that the Sindh government was in deep slumber when the city got ruined. The chief justice said the anti-encroachment drive must be conducted in accordance with the law.

The mayor informed the bench that the KMC had razed 3,575 shops in district south while it would also demolish illegal shops from Lea Market and Zoological Gardens Market. He claimed that the KMC was planning to provide 1,470 shops to the affected shopkeepers in its own markets.

The chief justice turned down an application of a shopkeepers’ body of Light House against demolition of their shops and observed that he would not support illegal encroachments.

Meanwhile, DIG Javed Odho told the media on the SC premises that police had written a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency regarding production of former minister Owais Muzzaffar aka Tappi, foster brother of former president Asif Ali Zardari, before the court since he had been residing abroad for the past three years. On Tuesday, the chief justice had directed the police to produce Mr Muzzaffar before the bench after a resident of Shah Latif Town, Malir, had accused the former minister of encroaching upon his land.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar along with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday visited Thar coalfield, civil hospital and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Mithi, Diplo Taluka Hospital, a small village for resettlement of internally displaced persons, a reverse osmosis plant and other parts of Tharparkar district. The CJP talking to local journalists at Thar coalfield lauded government efforts for providing basic facilities to the drought-hit people but said there was still need to improve the healthcare and education sectors.

Earlier, CJP Nisar after landing at Shaheed Mai Bakhtawar airport travelled to the Misri Shah area on the outskirts of Mithi where he visited the reverse osmosis plant. He was informed during a briefing that the plant with 16 tube wells was catering to the need of over 50,000 people and their livestock.

The chief justice later took round of the Civil Hospital Mithi and the NICVD. He expressed anger during his visit to the emergency ward asking the officials to ensure provision of all facilities to meet any emergency situation. He received complaints from patients against drugs shortage and reprimanded the officials present there. The staff informed the CJP that the tradition of early age marriages resulted in the deaths of infants as most of them were underweight when brought to hospital. The officials said awareness drives were launched to create awareness on the issue among locals. The chief justice then left for Diplo taluka hospital before reaching the Thar coalfield near Islamkot.

660MW production

At the coalfield, CJP Nisar met women drivers of dumper-trucks and visited the power plants area where he was briefed by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company about progress on the coal project. The chief justice was informed that the firm planned to begin production of 660MW electricity by the end of January or by the first week of February 2019.

He was also told that a 120-bed state-of-art hospital, which was under construction in Islamkot at a cost of Rs2 billion, would start OPD service in 2019.

The chief justice was also given a presentation on over 71 per cent employment to Tharis in the project for which Thari engineer programme was under way. He was told that 73 engineers had already completed their training from China under the programme, while Khushhal Thar driving schools had trained 100 dumper drivers, including 15 women. About bio-saline experiments in Thar, the chief justice was also told that Bajra, Jantar and many other cash crops and vegetable had been cultivated. At this, the chief justice directed the Thar Foundation to expand the bio-saline agriculture on a large scale. The chief justice was told that a Panicum Turgidum fodder pilot project, which had been launched in 2017 for providing fodder and supply to Block-II round the year, provided 400kg per acre yield every three months.

Another pilot project in collaboration with Xinjiang Project of China University was launched in October 2017 where plantation of cash crops, plants having medicinal value and fruits were being tested. Trial shall continue to identify the most suitable species in each category for further expansion. Bio-saline fish farm project launched in Gorano dam was shown to the chief justice through a video presentation. He was informed that 100,000 fish seedlings of different species were released into the farm last year and each fish had already attained 2kg weight. He was also briefed about Kargah project under which a direct link was being established between buyers and local artisans. It was disclosed that Thari artisans had a total sale of Rs2 million to date under the project.

During a visit to the 60-house village for rehabilitation of the first batch of displaced families, the chief justice planted a tree as he expressed his satisfaction over the large houses, which would be handed over to the affected families of Thar Block-II mining in December 2018.

Justice Faisal Arab, Sindh High Court chief justice, PTI MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani and high officials of various departments also accompanied the CJP during his visit to Thar.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2018