IHC permits CDA to demolish licensed kiosks in Islamabad

Court summons details of doctors’ duty timings in govt hospitals

ISLAMABAD:  

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) in its verdict permitted the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to continue its operation against kiosks in the federal capital.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani also dismissed the petitions of kiosks owners.

Earlier, the kiosk owners had reached out to IHC against CDA’s operation for cleaning up kiosks. The court had asked CDA to present the federal capital’s master plan and details of 485 kiosks in the last hearing.

During the hearing, the court said that the CDA neither made a law nor took the board’s approval for establishing kiosks. At this, the petitioners’ counsel replied that there were verdicts of the court regarding kiosks. Justice Kayani said that the CDA kept exacting the license fee without making any rules and added that the authority will have to return the amount to the kiosk-owners.

The counsel said, “They give licenses for the kiosks and then demolished them on their own.” The CDA had earlier issued licenses to kiosks owners then launched a demolition operation. However, the operation was stopped after an intervention of national assembly’s committee in May, 2018.

Sasta bazaars

IHC instructed the Islamabad Municipal Corporation (IMC) to take administrative control of sasta bazaars.

The court rejected the petition of market committee to hand over administration of sasta bazaars to them. The petition was under adjournment for the last two years. The bazaars are usually setup on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

The court in its verdict said that the committee’s jurisdiction was extended till vegetable market and added that running the bazaar was the responsibility of IMC.

PMDC

The IHC summoned details regarding duty timings of doctors in federal government hospitals from Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The petitioner’s counsel Raja Saimul Haq said a doctor worked for 102 hours a week which was a violation of Article 4 of the constitution.

He said that doctors only worked 48 hours a week in other parts of the world and pleaded the court to direct related authorities to apply the same working hours here in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2019.