File Photo

KARACHI: Police and personnel of the Anti-Encroachment Cell (AEC) carried out an operation Thursday night against illegal encroachments in the city, clearing roadsides from Landi Kotal Chowrangi to Five-Star Chowrangi, Geo News reported.

Numerous people and traders who protested against the operation were taken into custody, authorities said. 

Last Saturday, the Supreme Court chided the Sindh government for failing to get thousands of amenity plots cleared of illegal encroachments in the city.

The apex court expressed annoyance at the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) for failing to clear public recreational places of illegal encroachments and 'china cutting' (illegal carving), and rejected the report submitted by the KDA in the case.

Also read: Supreme Court slams KDA over inaction in illegal encroachments case

The KDA had informed the Supreme Court earlier that thousands of square yards of 35,000 amenity plots in the city had been taken over through 'china cutting'.

It was also revealed that KDA land worth over Rs1 trillion was illegally occupied.