The city administration has intensified its campaign against illegal constructions, sealing 39 shops and hotels and demolishing encroachments across several districts last week, including cabins nearly two decades old and allegedly used for illegal activities.
Authorities today issued a stern warning to the owners of roadside hotels and other businesses establishing encroachments on footpaths and roads, demanding strict adherence to the previously provided Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The Commissioner of Karachi confirmed that action against SOP violators will continue. He stated that punitive measures would include sealing properties and potential arrests, adding that sealed establishments would not be allowed to reopen without solid assurances of future compliance.
According to a report issued by the Commissioner’s office, all Deputy Commissioners are actively conducting operations in their respective districts. The report detailed that a total of 39 properties were sealed in the last seven days, including 30 in District East, four in District Korangi, three in District South, and one in District Central.
The largest operation took place in Patel Para, where Assistant Commissioner Jamshed Hashim Masood led an operation resulting in the closure of 28 shops for encroachment violations. The drive also demolished illegal structures and cabins in the area.
In District East, besides the 28 shops in Patel Para, the New Quetta Gul Sher Agha Hotel and Cafe Murtaza on Abul Hasan Isphahani Road in Gulzar-e-Hijri were also sealed. Further clearance operations were conducted in Ferozabad, Jamshed Quarters, Liaquatabad, and Nazimabad to remove encroachments obstructing traffic.
Actions taken in District South included the sealing of Quetta Hashmi Hotel and Madina Hotels in the Garden sub-division. Stalls, cabins, and illegal parking were cleared from other areas including Raja Ghazanfar Ali Road in Saddar, Aram Bagh, Civil Lines, and Lyari.
In District Korangi, authorities sealed four eateries in Landhi: Quetta Tea Hotel, Sabri Qalandri Biryani, Roll Point, and Shan Foods. Unauthorized structures were also removed in Model Colony, Shah Faisal Colony, and Nasir Jump.
During operations in District Keamari, ten “takht” (wooden platform) seating areas were dismantled in Baldia, and cylinders and other seating were cleared from footpaths in the Keamari sub-division, improving traffic flow. A roadside seating area of a hotel in Mominabad, District West, was completely removed. A chair seating area was also cleared in North Nazimabad, District Central.
Deputy Commissioners described these operations as peaceful, conducted on the Commissioner’s orders with the cooperation of municipal staff and law enforcement agencies. The demolished structures included both permanent and temporary constructions, some reportedly as old as 20 years.
The 28 shops sealed in Patel Para under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner Hashim Masood include: City Motor, Sajjad Motors, Habib Kirana Store, Shah Jee Autos, Abdul Majeed Autos, Darban Bazar Naan Shop, Shah Jee LPG/Autos, Imran Milk Shop, Punjab Jamalo Hotel, Abdullah Hasan Restaurant, Quetta Mubarak Piyala Hotel, Al Mustafa Hotel, Haji Jamalo Hotel, Shamsher Agha Hotel, Waheed Autos, Darvesh Autos, OK NMC Autos, Usama Jump Wala Workshop, Irfan Autos, Shandar Gas Shop, Mehran Petroleum Oil Shop, New Al-Makkah Autos, Sajid Hasanzai Restaurant, Imran Autos, Karachi Oil Shop, Ovi Electric Shop, and Subhan Autos.