KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has imposed a Rs50,000 fine on the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) for failing to submit a timely response to a legal plea concerning unauthorized commercial activities on an amenity plot in Kathiawar Society, Adamjee Nagar, Karachi.
The legal action, brought by the Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) leader Altaf Shakoor, challenges the construction of a school on plot SNPA: No-40, intended for a diagnostic center, which was leased to Bay View Junior School. The school, rented for Rs50,000 per month with a 10% monthly rent increase, exemplifies the commercial use of the plot, according to the petition.
Presiding over the case, a division bench comprising Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi and Justice Abdul Hameed Bhurgri expressed dissatisfaction with the KDA and SBCA for their repeated requests for additional time to file comments. The court ordered the fine to be paid into the High Court clinic account and demanded that responses be filed by the next hearing date. Failure to comply will result in senior officers from both authorities being summoned personally to court.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 4, 2025.
Speaking to reporters, Altaf Shakoor highlighted that the commercial exploitation of amenity plots undermines citizens’ rights and reiterated his party’s commitment to opposing such practices.