KARACHI: An anti-encroachment drive by the municipal administration in Karachi’s Mehmoodabad was postponed indefinitely after residents took over the fire station and blocked Korangi Expressway.
According to details, the residents staged a protest against the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s drive to clear land on both sides of one of Karachi’s main stormwater drains, the Mehmoodabad Nullah.
It was decided late Wednesday night that the drive would begin in Kashmir Colony instead of Manzoor Colony. The teams hoped to start with illegally constructed businesses before moving on to demolishing homes.
However, they failed after the protestors pelted stones, forcing administration officials tasked with the operation to seek shelter at the fire station. The protesters also blocked the Korangi Expressway which disrupted the flow of traffic.
In this regard, the demolition work was halted for more than five hours. The police and KMC tried to enter a second location but people again started pelting them with stones.
Later, Jamshed Division SP Farooq Bijarani arrived and negotiated with the protesters. He assured them that the operation would not continue if they ended their protest peacefully.
Bashir Siddiqui, the KMC senior director of anti-encroachment, said there is some misconception about the drive among the residents. “They think that KMC was going to demolition their houses but we have no such plans, he said.
A meeting on the situation is underway in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, where the decision on the next course of action will be taken by the authorities.
