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Mayor Wahab says construction work near Karachi's Hill Park halted; MQM-P demands probe into 'NOC'
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Energy & Infrastructure

Mayor Wahab says construction work near Karachi's Hill Park halted; MQM-P demands probe into 'NOC'

From Dawn · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab announced that construction near Hill Park has been halted.
  • The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has demanded an investigation into the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the construction.
  • Wahab asserted that no KMC land was allotted or leased, and any NOC was misinterpreted.

Construction work adjacent to Karachi's historic Hill Park has been halted, according to Mayor Murtaza Wahab, amid allegations of illegal land allocation. The opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the project, particularly concerning the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

I instructed them that if the construction is taking place within the KMC land, then proceed with demolition.

— Murtaza WahabMayor Wahab described his instructions to KMC teams sent to investigate the construction site.

Mayor Wahab stated on Sunday that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) had not auctioned or allotted any land for the construction. He confirmed that work was stopped a week prior following a public complaint. "Not even an inch of KMC land has been allotted," Wahab reiterated, dismissing the MQM-P's claims as political maneuvering.

The KMC spokesperson confirmed that legal action had been initiated, with the Land Department requesting police intervention to halt the construction. An investigation into public complaints revealed no KMC allotment or construction permission was issued. The mayor instructed relevant officers to take action, and the Land Department sought formal verification of land ownership from PECHS.

Not even an inch of KMC land has been allotted.

— Murtaza WahabMayor Wahab reiterated his stance on land allocation amidst the controversy.

In a letter dated May 25, the KMC land director categorically rejected granting any permission, approval, NOC, allotment, lease, or construction authorization over Hill Park's land. The letter noted that certain individuals were using "misinterpreted" documents and NOCs to justify the construction, specifically a Conditional NOC dated April 30. The director stressed that any attempt to use this NOC to claim rights over government land or KMC property was unlawful, misleading, and contrary to the document's content, which pertained to PECHS Society land and did not confirm ownership or legal rights.

A careful reading of the said Conditional NOC clearly establishes that the subject plot was stated to pertain to PECHS Society and not to KMC.

— KMC Land DirectorThe KMC land director clarified the misinterpretation of a Conditional NOC in a letter.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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