Muzaffarabad:
Chief Justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court (AJKSC) Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan on Tuesday ordered Mirpur’s municipal authorities to enforce a ban on commercial construction in residential areas and immediately stop illegal interventions on green belt areas.
President of the procedure in the Supreme Court’s branch register in Mirpur heard Chief Justice several cases, including one filed against the mayor of the city.
He expressed strong concern about the uncontrolled conversion of land intended for parks and green belts for commercial use, reportedly with the approval of officials from the municipal company and Mirpur Development Authority (MDA).
Justice Akram expressed dissatisfaction with the mayor and asked, “Why shouldn’t you be disqualified from your position because of this negligence, carelessness and illegal behavior?”
The court reprimanded the mayor and ordered him to submit a detailed report explaining under which legal authority or provisions on commercial activities were allowed in green belt areas and why tuck shops and other ventures were allowed on such reasons.
The court emphasized that these actions constituted a clear violation of previous judicial decisions and directives.
The mayor was further instructed to stop and remove all unauthorized commercial activities and constructions established on green belts and housing plots without delay.
In addition, all officials of the Municipal Corporation and MDA were instructed to provide a detailed report on the total area assigned to View Point Park, where they specified how much land had been obtained and the extent of unauthorized construction performed there.
The director of the MDA was specifically prevented from approving the construction of additional commercial buildings or structures, especially in residential areas.
The Court claimed that under no circumstances would come to commercial activity in zones designated for housing.
The court was also informed that some housing degrees were illegally transformed into commercial reasons in violation of rules and regulations.
While completed or ongoing constructions on such reasons will not be affected at this time, the court strictly ordered that no new commercial construction was allowed on newly converted grounds, even though the allottes had construction permits issued by the authority.
It was noted that the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Mirpur Division had previously been called and rebuked with instructions to ensure the removal of all illegal constructions and interventions under their supervision.
The case was subjected to further procedures. Those present in court included the mayor of the Municipal Corporation Mirpur, Chaudhry Usman Khalid, Raja Humayun Razaq (Property Officer, Municipal Corporation Mirpur), Chaudhry Amjad Iqbal (Director Estate, MDA) and Mirza Kalem (Managing MDA).
