A file photo of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
The Supreme Court (SC) has directed the Karachi commissioner to prepare within four months a feasibility report on the development of the new oil tanker terminal in Zulfiqarabad.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, also directed the commissioner to submit the feasibility report to enable the court to formulate the procedures on the execution of the long-delayed and much needed project.
These directives came on a human rights application filed by Shagufta Bibi, a resident of Clifton's Block-1 in 2007. The applicant had complained that the owners of the oil tankers parked heavy vehicles in the streets, creating an environmental nuisance for the residents. The apex court was pleaded to order the removal of the oil tankers from the locality.
The then chief justice, Muhammad Iftikhar Chaudhry, had converted the application into a petition and had initiated proceedings that took various rounds, as the stakeholders, including the Oil Tankers Owners Association, the Karachi Port Trust and others, were not willing to invest money in developing the new tanker terminal outside the city.
On the last date of the hearing, the judges had directed the traffic DIG and transport secretary to ensure the oil tanker terminal is shifted from Shirin Jinnah Colony to Zulfiqarabad.
On Thursday, the judges asked the commissioner to oversee the project so that it could be completed at the earliest. The bench asked him to prepare a feasibility report, outlining the financial requirements, within four months.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 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