Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed will hear several cases in the ongoing week on the conditions in Karachi. On the first day, a three-member bench made the decision to demolish a high-rise building built on one of the city’s busiest roads with explosive material. The apex court sought progress on the removal of encroachments along drains, compensation to the affectees whose houses were razed, and illegal occupation and commercial use of amenity plots.
The top judge summoned the chief minister and asked him to provide a copy of the city’s master plan. The provincial authorities were given a dressing down on the problems facing the city but the chief minister also expressed his helplessness to resolve the plethora of problems, saying he faces numerous obstacles amid the ongoing tussle with the federal government.
The chief justice has taken a keen interest in improving the living condition in Karachi and restoring its lost glory. The city has grown several times in the last few decades and illegal housing has mushroomed. It was due to his keen efforts that stormwater drains were cleaned and although we received lesser rain, the situation was not adverse as last year when the city was submerged due to heavy downpours.
The apex court has vented its frustration at the provincial government but the current deplorable situation is not the result of a few years of incompetence but decades of negligence. All political parties, agencies, and public organisations are equally responsible for the present condition as they were more concerned about their vested interests. Consequently, the City of Lights became a concrete jungle.
Illegal encroachment and constructions are one of the biggest problems that have inflicted Karachi. The court has issued a stern warning against the land mafia operating with impunity. The esteemed court should ensure that authorities end the occupation but should also take stock of the ground realties and hold those who are responsible for ruining the city.
It is not the ordinary citizens who are responsible but rather they are the victims. The officers of KMC, KDA, SBCA, K-Electric, and other civic agencies are mainly responsible for the deplorable condition. The court should not just instruct citizens to vacate their homes, often bought with entire life savings, but also bring powerful bureaucrats and officials in these organisations to task. The court should find a way to ensure that citizens are not rendered homeless and demolishing their homes is the last resort. More importantly, the apex court should provide an exemplary punishment so that no one can dare take such decisions.
