SHC stops sale or demolition of Karachi's Hotel Metropole

KARACHI: A single bench of the Sindh High Court has stopped the demolition and sale of Hotel Metropole in Karachi and directed the parties involved in the case to submit their replies by February 19, reported The News.

The single-judge bench comprising Justice Agha Faisal issued the orders on the plea of advocate Muhammad Kamran Baloch representing the Khamisani Group of Companies.

The Khamisani Group of Companies had pleaded the court to stop the hotel’s demolition as they owned shops there while the hotel administration had seized their goods for the last two years.

Baloch told the court that they were neither given their belongings nor being paid compensation while the management was also not paying the price of shops.

The counsel pleaded that the hotel should not be sold or demolished till they receive their compensation. The court after hearing the arguments stopped the sale or demolition of the hotel.

Park for children and elderly people

Last year, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had decided to acquire the Metropole Hotel’s land for the construction of a park for elderly people.

The chief minister took the decision while presiding over a high-level meeting at the CM House. Shah had said that he wanted to acquire the land of Metropole the Hotel, where the government would construct a beautiful park designated only for children and elderly people.