Lack of government policy: KDA delays action against China-cutting plots

The government has given no policy for the rehabilitation of the inhabitants living in houses on plots occupied under China-cutting scam that has made KDA to delay its planned anti-encroachment drive, said its Director General.
"Although China-cutting settlements are illegal, the residents living on these plots are considered innocent. They will be rendered homeless, if the anti-encroachment drive is kicked off," said Samiuddin Siddiqui, DG, KDA, speaking at a meeting organized by Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) at its head office, here.
He said that the government has given no policy for the rehabilitation of the inhabitants living in China-cutting settlements, restraining KDA to kick off anti-encroachment drive. He said that the KDA, under the directives of apex court, begun its anti-encroachment drive in phases and in first phase, KDA would demolish marriage halls established at amenity plots and then the drive would extend to encroached commercial plots and China-cutting plots would come next. He brushed aside the impression of submitting a list of 14000 encroached plots in the court, saying that KDA had so far not submitted any list to the court.
Sami vowed to continue anti-encroachment drive with impartiality at any cost, saying that although no ABAD member was so far found guilty of the encroachment at amenity plots, he/she would be taken to task in case of any involvement.
He also announced making Saddar parking plaza operational in December to resolve parking issue at District South, besides establishing KDA's Toll Free Number to facilitate the Karachiities for launching encroachment complaints.
ABAD chairman Arif Jeewa urged the KDA to give block-wise commercial status like Islamabad instead of declaring any further road commercial. Commenting on the reports regarding the re-encroachment at recovered land, he said that KDA should construct boundary wall or grill wall at the recovered lands to restrain the encroachers to commence illicit construction again.
KDA's Master Plan director Sarfaraz Khan said that the authority collected infrastructure development charges from developers and transferred the same to the utilities. He said that recently, KDA had given Rs 37 million to the KWSB out of its total share of Rs 360 million.
Furthermore, he said, KDA is working on the city's sixth master plan for 2020 and committee has been constituted in this regard while experts are being engaged for its implementation in true spirit. A large number of ABAD members and KDA officials attended the meeting.