KARACHI: The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) was unable to defend various construction activities at Seaview Beach in spite of a restraining order, according to information provided to the Sindh High Court (SHC).
In his inspection report, a court official named Nazir also stated that although DHA and Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) officials were instructed to provide information regarding the constructions and Seaview Beach development project, they were waiting until the report was completed.
In the presence of pertinent parties, the nazir inspected the Seaview Bench from Nishan-i-Pakistan to the Clock Tower under the SHC’s directive to assess the current state of construction and other operations.
A seven- to eight-foot-tall stonewall was discovered to have been built between Nishan-i-Pakistan and the Clock Tower, according to the nazir’s report submitted to the SHC. According to CBC officials, the wall’s purpose was to shield the project from sand.
When a court officer visits the waterfront, she notices wilting vegetation and run-down beach parks.
The report also stated that dead coconut and palm trees and plants had been discovered in several of the beach park’s neglected areas, which were situated between Clock Tower and Chunky Monkey Amusement Park.
It further claimed that paid parking was available on a service road and that CBC employees in jackets were present to collect parking fees.
It stated that additional building work was being done at the Seaview bench, in addition to the construction of a ground-plus-one-floor restaurant and a health café.
The report went on to say that eleven food kiosks in all were discovered to be partially decaying, that seven or eight small shops appeared to be under construction, and that a room was being built despite laborers telling the nazir that it would be used for a generator and machinery for storm water drains that were still under construction, as well as a location for information, rescue operations, and DHA security monitoring.
The investigation also revealed the discovery of an open drain carrying untreated domestic sewage waste, which was dumping garbage and dirty water into the sea. Debris heaps were seen to be lying in two different locations.
In addition, it stated that eight storm water drains under construction were discovered running from the Clock Tower to Nisan-i-Pakistan Park. In addition to restrooms and a prayer place, wooden seating arrangements and walkways were also provided.
“They failed to provide any information in response to a question from DHA officials about the consent or license for construction, and they were unable to defend their position. Therefore, in order to present their findings to the Honorable Court, representatives of the DHA and CBC were instructed to provide thorough papers about the existing structures and the Seaview Bench Development Project. But even after a significant amount of time has passed, the report’s completion is still anticipated,” it continued.
According to the report filed by a director of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), the court official further stated that the project’s proponent, the CBC, had submitted the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) for the beach development project in December 2019 (from Nisan-i-Pakistan Park to Clock Tower).
Following a thorough examination and adherence to all legal requirements, Sepa stated that the project in question had been authorized in February 2020.
The hearing was postponed to May 6 by the two-judge bench led by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar after taking the nazir’s report on record and stating that the various parties would be free to raise any objections.
While the attorneys for the DHA and CBA maintained that they had not approved any additional building, Zubair Ahmed Abro, speaking on behalf of the petitioners, had earlier this month highlighted multiple construction activity at the Seaview bench.
Following that, the SHC assigned the nazir to conduct an inspection and gave the DHA and CBC instructions to make sure that no new construction would be undertaken and that all building would cease until further directives were received.
In 2022, Arif Belgaumi and other petitioners had filed a case with the Supreme Court challenging the purported commercialization of the waterfront in Phase-V of the DHA, from Nishan-i-Pakistan Park to Village Restaurant (now the Clock Tower).
The petitioners had argued that the IEE approval granted by Sepa to the intended commercialization had already been overturned by an environmental tribunal.
