DJ College ordered to vacate sports ground

DJ College ordered to vacate sports ground
Karachi: The Government of Sindh issued orders to the Government DJ Science College to immediately vacate the sports ground and hand it over for the formation of an Education Complex, officials said.

The ground adjacent to the Government Commerce College is under the Rangers control for the last several years. It was during the rule of General Zia-ul-Haq that most of the locations of education departments were handed over to the Rangers. A little portion of the ground was, however, left vacant for the sports activity of the students of the DJ College. The Rangers have established a regional office on some part of the ground.

The Technical Board near the National Institute of Public Adminisrtation (NIPA) is also being occupied by the Rangers where they have set up residential quarters, forcing the technical board staff to work in only two to three rooms at a time. In the same manner the bungalow of the chairman of the Hyderabad Board of Education is also being used by the Rangers.

Sources said however, that the Sindh Government had issued directives to the Works Department Education to contact the Principal of DJ College in order get the sports ground evacuated immediately, and start work on an educational complex.

The previous caretaker government also issued similar orders to the principal of the college to get control for constructing the education complex but was stopped due to the pressure of the students and teachers of the college.

The prestigious DJ (Dayaram Jethmull) Government Science College established in 1887 was the only college left where the playground was not encroached upon, while other city colleges' playgrounds were either taken over by the rangers or was trespassed upon by the settlers coming from different parts of the country.

It must be mentioned here that the DJ College has already been declared a cultural heritage by the Government of Sindh.

The Education Complex will house the office of Secretary Education, who already has two offices in his possession, one at Tughlaq House, Sindh Secretariat and the other at the Sindh Textbook Board Office, Director College, Director Private Schools and other education projects offices will be built in this complex.

Legally, a summary has to be moved for its annexation, though it's a property of DJ Science College but is controlled by the Rangers.

Expressing grave concern for illegally occupying the DJ College playground, the management of the College and Principal, Hakimullah Beg Chugtai, said that some external elements without mandatory approval required started excavation work during caretaker government and was again eyeing on this prestigious ground which was highly condemnable.

The principal alleged that the land grabbers illegally occupy playground of DJ Science College and wanted to use it for commercial purposes depriving the students of recreational activities.

In the name of constructing Educational Complex on the ground, the entire playground of about more than 1000 yards was sold out for different commercial purposes, the insider said.

The basement of the ground was sold for parking lot, while the top of the building was allocated for private office purposes. The News