The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon to begin pre-demolition work on the ruined high rise, after failing to comply with court orders to demolish the Nasla Tower and warning it to be held in contempt. did.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Ejaz ul Ahsan and Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin Ahmed held a hearing. number of cases On the civic issues of Karachi, directed the commissioner to use all the heavy equipment and machinery available at his disposal and to “immediately demolish” the Nasla Tower and Tejori Heights. He also ordered that a report be presented to the court later in the day.
At the beginning of the hearing, the Chief Justice asked whether the demolition order had been complied with. To this, Memon said he needed “guidance” from the court and wanted to say something.
“Bite to chase, did you break the building or not?” The Chief Justice interrogated the commissioner and warned that he could be sent to jail for contempt of court.
“Do you know where you stand?” Justice Ahmed made the remarks while addressing the commissioner.
“You are constantly showing contempt of court. Does he deserve to be called a commissioner? He is a Grade 18 officer who is saying such things here.”
Pre-demolition work started in Nasla Tower
Following the advice of the court, pre-demolition preparatory work, which included the removal of panels and windows, began. According to the Karachi commissioner, heavy equipment and machinery were deployed at the scene.
Memon said the demolition of the tall building had started earlier, but was stopped due to lack of safety measures.
“There was fear of loss of life and property. It was a Supreme Court order not to cause damage to life and property,” he said. The demolition work is now being expedited on the orders of the Supreme Court so that it can be demolished at the earliest.
Order for demolition of Nasla Tower, Tejori Heights
On June 16, a three-judge SC bench headed by CJP had initially ordered demolition 15-storey Nasla Tower to encroach on the land made for the service road.
to issue detailed order For this, on June 19, the court had also directed the builders of Nassa Tower to refund the amount within three months to the registered buyers of residential and commercial units.
Later the builder of Nasla Tower filed a review petition against the order of 16 June, which was dismiss Supreme Court last month
Supreme Court on 25 October directed Asked the Municipal Commissioner to demolish the Nasla Tower through “controlled blasting” within a week and submit a report. companies were later said to deposit their respective demolition costs until two choose,
After that the district administration service notice The residents of Nasla Tower, in early October, directed them to vacate the 15-storey building by October 27 or face coercive action by the authorities concerned. By October 28, almost all families had Empty their respective apartments.
the city administration then asked for directions The top court finalized the demolition of Nasla Tower as one firm sought Rs 22 crore to demolish the high rise through controlled blasting, while another offered free service through mechanical means.
Tejori Heights Tower, meanwhile, was ordered to be demolished within four weeks Also, on October 29, the builders were ordered to refund the allottees within three months. The bench had asked the commissioner to ensure that the demolition and debris removal process is completed within the stipulated period.
‘Revenue board has become a land grabbing group’
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court bench also heard the alleged allotment of Board of Revenue of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) land to a private group to build another terminal at Karachi airport.
The court ordered immediate halt to activities on the land, saying the land should be used only for aviation purposes.
The Federal Investigation Agency submitted its report on the case to the court. According to the report, forged documents were made for CAA assets, while two cases were registered against the fraudsters and four suspects were also arrested.
To this, the Chief Justice said that the Sindh government is supporting those who are in possession of the land.
Meanwhile, Justice Ahsan came down heavily on the Sindh Board of Revenue, saying it has become a “possession group” (land grabbing group).
The Chief Justice remarked that the clubs were built on government land and would soon become housing societies.
The CAA officials present at the hearing agreed to cease business activities but requested that the mess be allowed to remain so. A club and mess had been set up for government officials but membership was also given to private individuals, he said. He said the club would be closed if the court ordered it to do so.
CJP remarked, “You have become involved in making money and are distracted from your work.”