KARACHI: The oil tankers parked in Shireen Jinnah Colony must be moved to another location by Friday evening, the Supreme Court ordered after issuing notices to 27 oil companies.
Tankers parked at Clifton, Block 1, must be parked at an empty plot of land, of about 50,000 square feet, belonging to the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Keamari, for two months, after which the tankers will be provided a permanent parking lot in Zulfiqarabad where they can refuel, Chief Justice Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said. KPT was also asked to come up with a sum that will be charged to the oil tankers belonging to oil companies as parking fees.
A three-member bench headed by the CJP with Justices Rehmat Hussain Jafferi and Ghulam Rabbani, directed the government to provide alternate parking spaces to the owner of oil tankers after residents filed a petition at the court, claiming that the oil tankers parked in their neighbourhoods added to the pollution and traffic in the area. Chaudhry said that the city government is responsible for developing the 150 acres in Zulfiqarabad that were allotted by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah for the construction of a parking lot for these tankers.
Owners of the tankers assured the CJP that they will move them to the temporary location by Friday evening, after which, the court adjourned the hearing of the case for two months. Meanwhile, sources said that 100 acres still need to be allotted.
Published in the Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2010.
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