While hearing compensation plea of Nasla Tower Karachi affectees Thursday Supreme Court sought comprehensive report for concerned authorities pertaining to current market value of Nasla Tower Karachi plot in order to ensure sale of the Tower land and distribution of proceeds from the sale among people, affected by the scandal.
During the hearing of the petition seeking compensation for the Nasla Tower affectees at the top court’s Karachi Registry, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa also issued directives for placing an ad in print media for sale of the land.
He also directed the concerned officials to submit a report on the market value of the plot. Apart from that, the CJP also sought details of heirs of Abdul Qadir, the builder. The chief justice directed those affected to approach the concerned officials along with documentary proofs of their ownership.
Apprising the court, counsel for the petitioners submitted that the builder had passed away, saying despite court directives, his clients are running from pillar to post as they have been deprived from compensatory amount so far. He urged the court to issue directives for plot sale which is adjacent to the Tower and distribute the amount thus received among the affectees.
It is pertinent to mention that two years ago, then CJP Gulzar Ahmad had ordered the demolition of the Tower. He had also ordered compensation for 44 victims of the scandal. On Thursday, the SC also ordered the allotment of lands to those displaced during anti-encroachment operations carried out around three nullahs of Karachi, namely Gujjar, Orangi and Mehmoodabad, in one month.
Responding to query of the CJP whether the structures bulldozed during operations around the nullahs were legal, the provincial chief law officer submitted that they were illegal and that the government act upon the directives of the top court in the matter.
Provincial Advocate General also informed the court that the Sindh government had earmarked one million rupees for the construction of homes for the affected people. Upon which the Chief Justice Isa remarked that the amount belonged to the people of the province, and that the SC would not allow anybody to usurp it. He directed the government to allot plots to those who were interested. Ordering giving compensation to those affected, the chief justice made it clear that the court has no objection if others wanted to wait for the Engineering Council. Speaking on the occasion, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab informed that encroachments built around the nullahs had been removed. “The KMC complies with the SC orders,” he told the court. He went on to say that close to 150 illegal hydrants were removed during the last six months.
