SHC wants encroachments removed from Gulshan

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has taken exception to the non-compliance of the court’s directives with regard to the removal of encroachments from the amenity areas of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal neighbourhood, directing the District East deputy commissioner to submit a comprehensive report on the matter.

Hearing a petition of Syeda Maria Raza against encroachment in Lemo Goth of the neighbourhood, an SHC division bench comprising Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput and Justice Mohammad Faisal Kamal Alam termed the report filed by the anti-encroachment force “an eyewash”.

The anti-encroachment force director had filed para-wise comments on the petition. After the perusal of the report, the court observed that the report was nothing but an eyewash, as no efforts had been made by the department for the removal of encroachments on roads, sewerage lines, footpaths and public parks.

The director submitted that some exercise for the removal of encroachments was made last year, and he had also written to the East DC for initiating a campaign. The court directed the DC to appear in person, along with a comprehensive report with regard to the removal of encroachments from Lemo Goth, by December 22.

LADP plot

In the matter pertaining to the allotment of the commercial plot of the Lines Area Redevelopment Project (LADP) for the purpose of rent, the court has directed the LADP director to file comments with regard to the status of the LADP plot and its utilisation. The petitioner had submitted that the LADP had rented out the commercial plot for the purpose of the Bara Market instead of auctioning the plot.

Teenager’s murder

The administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts has remanded a former station house officer (SHO) of Orangi Town to police custody in the Arsalan Mehsud murder case until December 19.

Ex-SHO Azam Gopang was produced before the judge for obtaining his police remand in the case. Gopang, along with police constables Tauheed and Umair, had been booked by the police for killing the teenage boy and injuring his friend Yasir in a fake encounter on December 6. The police had earlier claimed that the teenager had been shot on the suspicion of being a dacoit, and that a pistol had been seized from his possession.