Karachi: Demolition of illegal encroachments: Hazara Colony residents fight back

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: Scores of Hazara Colony residents strongly resisted a demolition operation by the Pakistan Railways (PR).

Located on PR land near Kalapul, Cantt, Hazara Colony is home to residents, some of whom have been living there for the past 30 years. As the PR demolition teams reached the site to begin the operation on Saturday, they were attacked by angry area residents.

The mob blocked the railway track for hours and opened fire when the railway staff tried to launch an operation to clear illegal encroachments. The police resorted to baton charge and teargas to disperse the demonstrators. As a result of the railway track blocking, the Millat Express, Pakistan Express and Super Express had to be stopped.

The area residents, while condemning the anti-encroachment drive, claimed that they have been settled in the area for the past 30 years. “If they want to demolish our homes, they should provide us houses elsewhere,” they demanded.

Eyewitnesses said that unidentified armed men belonging to the land mafia opened fire on the railway officials as they reached the Hazara Colony area to put an end to the railway track blockade. The PR officials halted the operation to avoid any mishaps, while no agreement was made between PR authorities and the land grabbers in this regard.

Sources claimed that hundreds of acres of land, owned by PR and worth billions of rupees, has been grabbed by the land mafia in the city. Earlier, similar operations had been carried out by the PR in order to get the land evacuated but the land mafia always managed to reoccupy the land once the operations were completed.

It was reported that a City District Government Karachi team also assisted the PR operation, however, District Officer Enforcement Abdul Malik and Saddar Town Nazim Dilawar Khan denied their involvement in the demolishing operation when contacted.

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Waqar Mehdi said that once he received the information, he immediately contacted the PR administration and asked them to stop the operation as it was being conducted in an illegal manner. “The railway administration carried out the operation without issuing any notices to the residents. The administration has broken the law and an inquiry committee will be made regarding this,” Mehdi explained, adding that the residents there had been living there for a long time and even had their names in the voters’ list.

According to Railway Karachi Division Divisional Superintendent Mir Mohammad Khaskheli, some people posing as PPP leaders were creating hurdles in the operation at Hazara Colony and, hence, the PR staff contacted the CM’s adviser and informed him about this issue.

Sachal residents protest: In another protest, residents of the Sachal area gathered to voice their concerns over the arrest of their relatives. The angry mob burnt tyres on the roads and pelted stones on passing vehicles. DSP Asif Razzak said, “The Manghogir police had arrested some people for their involvement in criminal activities and, hence, their relatives retaliated.” However, the situation was taken into control peacefully and no arrests were made, he added.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg12_1