KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has demolished 75 concrete structures during an ongoing anti-encroachment operation along the Gujjar nullah.
The operation was launched by KMC to clear the stormwater drain from Nala Stop in New Karachi.
Senior KMC Director Bashir Siddiqui said they were targeting encroachments on a 4km strip from Nala Stop to Shafiq Morr.
“We have completed 90% demolition work on the left side of the nullah,” he said. “Around 40% work has been completed on the right side.”
Nearly 120 houses and concrete structures exist on the 4km patch, according to the official. The KMC has yet to demolish 45 houses on the right bank of the drain.
The operation was being affected because of a protest by the residents, Siddiqui said. He said the government handed them pay orders instead of compensation cheques, which were not instantly cashed by the banks.
The 4km strip of the drain would be cleared of encroachments by Saturday, the KMC official said. The section would then be handed over to the Frontier Works Organisation for the construction of a road, he said.
The authorities have decided that development work on the Gujjar nullah would be done parallel to the demolition process. The KMC would hand over the cleared area to the FWO every three days.
Siddiqui said they have employed their own labour along with anti-encroachment teams to dismantle these concrete structures.
“We are working to demolish the concrete structures manually,” he said. “The use of heavy machinery contains the risk of damaging them beyond the marked area.”
Last week, the KMC cleared the drain of all soft encroachments.
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