File review petition against SC order on demolition of 500 buildings, Karachi mayor advises Sindh govt

KARACHI: The Sindh government should file a review petition in the Supreme Court regarding a Supreme Court order to demolish more than 500 commercial buildings constructed on residential plots, said Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar on Saturday.“The buildings marked in the order have not been build on encroached land,” clarified Akhtar in a press conference on Saturday.No legal building or wedding hall would be demolished, he said, and requested the provincial government to approach the apex court.Federal IT minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui demanded a judicial commission to resolve the issue. On January 22, the Supreme Court barred the use of residential houses for commercial purposes. "Wedding halls, shopping malls and plazas will not be constructed on residential plots," SC's Karachi registry ordered.Further, the court had ordered all encroachments across the metropolis should be immediately razed. Meanwhile, marriage hall owners took to the streets in Karachi against the court's order. They announced that all marriage halls would be shut down in Karachi from Sunday. According to sources, more than 300 marriage halls and other commercial buildings would  be demolished in the first phase. Sindh Local Bodies Minister Saeed Ghani said that no building or hall constructed legally would be demolished. 

from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2FSprRm