Karachi: A large number of industrial plots in Karachi’s Sindh Industrial Trading Estates (SITE) area are at risk of encroachment due to negligence and alleged collusion of SITE administration officials, sources revealed yesterday.

According to sources, land grabbers are actively seizing vacant plots in collaboration with SITE’s estate engineers, field officers, and security staff. The latest case of land grabbing has been reported at Plot No. SF Unit 53, where encroachers have started construction after dumping building materials on-site.

This plot was allotted to M/S Speachly Limited, but remained vacant for a long time without any factory being established. Sources further disclosed that several other plots, including those near the SITE head office, are also on the radar of land grabbers, who are planning similar encroachments. Despite these alarming developments, SITE management has remained largely unresponsive, allegedly preoccupied with other matters instead of safeguarding industrial land under its jurisdiction.

The situation has caused serious concern among industrialists and investors, as vacant plots are increasingly at risk of illegal occupation. The lack of oversight has raised questions about SITE’s ability to protect state-owned land from such activities. This scribe attempted to reach out to SITE Managing Director Arif Zaidi and Director Finance Khursheed Dehraj for their comments, but they did not respond. Industrial stakeholders are now calling for immediate government intervention to prevent further encroachments and hold responsible officials accountable.