Apex court directs to complete demolition of Nasla Tower in a week

KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday gave a week’s time to commissioner Karachi for the complete demolition of the illegally constructed Nasla Tower.

The commissioner filed a report containing some photographs showing walls from the ground to upper floors that have been demolished.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, inquired from the commissioner as to why the demolition work had been commenced from the ground floor and did it not make the building collapse at once?

The commissioner explained that only walls of the residential units of each floor up to the uppermost floor would be demolished without touching the foundations and columns which supported the entire structure.

“Once the walls are demolished and the entire fixture will be removed then the columns will be removed starting from the top, explained the commissioner.

The CJP inquired from the commissioner did he seek help from expert engineers.

The commissioner replied that technical experts were present at the site round the clock and supervising demolition work.

Read more: JI Karachi chief to appear before SC to plead residents’ case

To a query of the bench, the commissioner submitted that 200 labourers have been deployed for the demolition work and it would take two to three weeks to complete the court orders.

However, the CJP observed that he would allow only one week for completing the demolition and it was up to the commissioner to deploy as many labourers as they want.

The court directed the commissioner to complete the demolition within a week and submit a compliance report to the office of the court for the perusal of the judges of the bench.

Earlier when the bench took up the matter, Jamat-e-Islami’s Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman took to the rostrum and tried to plead to the court to give directions to either the Sindh government or the builder to compensate the affected.

However, the bench stopped him from speaking and observed that the court had passed an order to this effect and would not allow him to make a political speech in the courtroom.

Read more: Residents of Karachi’s Nasla Tower left homeless, waiting for compensation

“Leave the courtroom and make political speech outside the court premises if you like so,” Justice Ahsan told Naeem.

Tejori Heights partially demolished, court told

The bench noted from the photographs provided along the reports submitted by the builder and the commissioner that Tejori Heights built on encroaching land in Gulshan-e-Iqbal had been demolished partially.

However, counsel for the builder submitted that walls of the grey structure of the building that was built up to two floors only had been demolished the previous night and columns were being demolished.

The bench noted that the basement of the building on which the building structure was erected stood undisturbed.

The builder’s counsel Raza Rabbani through submitted that after removing the columns the basement would be landfilled. Chief Justice Gulzar, however, did not agree with the proposition and directed the commissioner to ensure that the building was completely demolished as per the court’s order.

Read more: MQM-P to file petition in SHC for monetary compensation of Nasla Tower affectees

To a query of the bench, the builder’s counsel apprised that 32 out of 99 allottees had been paid compensation and the remaining would also be paid.

The counsel sought time for the removal of debris. The bench allowed 20 days and directed the commissioner to keep the possession of the plot with him after demolition was completed and file a compliance report to this effect.