The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation on Tuesday razed a part of the St Joseph’s Church in Sadiq Nagar as part of the demolition drive along Gujjar Nullah.
Activists and civil society groups like the Karachi Bachao Tehreek, along with members of the Gujjar Nullah Affectees Committee, had raised alarm against the demolition on Sunday night with calls for protest against the operation. However, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s anti-encroachment teams were not deterred and razed roughly 30 per cent of the building.
A citizen of the area claims that only 11 per cent of the church’s area was marked as encroached but the authorities razed at least 30 per cent of the property.
According to The Express Tribune, locals of the area decried that even leased structures have not been spared by the anti-encroachment teams.
The Express Tribune claims that no officials of the KMC commented on the situation in spite of repeated requests and one member of the staff that was on site claimed that he was only following orders given to him.
The demolition drives along Gujjar and Orangi nullahs have been repeatedly criticised by urban planners, researchers and members of civil society groups. Hundreds of families have been rendered homeless since the drive began and most await rehabilitation.
The Supreme Court had ordered the removal of encroachments along the nullahs to prevent urban flooding and smooth drainage of rain and sewage water.
