Tankers have been ordered to leave Shireen Jinnah Colony or face the consequences. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The oil tankers association has been asked once again by the Supreme Court (SC) to vacate Shireen Jinnah Colony within the next seven days and relocate to Zulfikarabad in the outskirts of the city.
If these orders are not complied with properly, contempt of court proceedings will be initiated against the authorities, stated the order of the SC Karachi registry on Wednesday. The oil terminal is a long-running dispute and, despite multiple court orders, the issue has yet to be resolved.
The association has been allocated 150 acres in Zulfikarabad Oil Tankers Terminal as an alternative space but the tankers' owners have opposed the idea.
A two-judge bench, comprising justices Sarmad Jalal Osmani and Gulzar Ahmed, announced the order in what appeared to be one last chance given to the authorities. Karachi police chief and operations DIG were directed to ensure the court's order is implemented and submit a report on August 26.
During the hearing, the bench gave remarks that a mockery of court's order was being made. The tankers keep occupying the land in Shireen Jinnah Colony assuming that it was just a joke, observed the bench. Any more delays in the implementation will not be tolerated, it added.
The petition was filed by a resident of Clifton Block 1 against the presence of oil tankers in the Shireen Jinnah Colony, which is located adjacent to Clifton Block 1. The life of residents became very difficult due to the continuous flow of heavy traffic, the resident had complained.
The tankers keep blocking the road by parking there and leaving only a single lane empty for normal traffic, the petitioner had pleaded. Moreover, the transporters caused more nuisance by repairing their broken down vehicles in the middle of the road, it stated.
During earlier hearings, the judges were told that ample space has been allocated in Zulfikarabad for the tankers but the tanker owners were reluctant to relocate as the new terminal lacked proper infrastructure. "The government has to provide basic facilities, such as water, electricity, fire stations, a dispensary, washrooms, bank, mosque, plots for workshops, shops and a hotel along with security and boundary walls around the terminal," Hazrat Ali Afridi, a senior vice-president of the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) had told The Express Tribune in 2013.
Afridi added that the area is under the influence of robbers, who steal diesel from their parked vehicles. Even after significant time has passed, there has been little progress at the new site.
According to Afridi, over 2,500 oil tankers enter and leave the temporary parking space at Shireen Jinnah Colony every day, while around 1,000 oil tankers are filled on a daily basis by the Oil Marketing Companies. His association has a total of 40,000 oil tankers in the country, out of which 11,000 operate within Karachi and also carry oil from the city to the rest of the county.
During the hearing, a focal person of the transport department was also summoned to court. He told the bench that nearly 50 per cent of the work on the terminal has been completed and it was ready to be used.
The bench gave remarks that the authorities have apparently turned a deaf ear towards the judiciary's orders. If they continue to ignore their orders, they will face contempt proceedings, it added.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2015.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ