SC orders safe passage for Indus River turtles

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday directed the Sindh government and Sukkur district administration to build safe passages for Indus River turtles that move between the river and the canals emerging from the Sukkur Barrage.

The court also directed the Sukkur commissioner to submit a report at the next hearing on illegal constructions and occupation of Labe Mehran Park on the river bank.

It rejected the petition of the Sukkur Municipal Corporation seeking control of Labe Mehran Park.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, heard the petition against illegal constructions and occupation on Labe Mehran Park at the Supreme Court Karachi Registry.

Rafiq Kalhoor, counsel for the Sukkur Municipal Corporation, maintained that the Sindh High Court had handed over administration of Labe Mehran Park to the Irrigation Department.

The park was handed over verbally to the municipality during the local bodies government.

“Management of the park should be given to the Sukkur Municipality so that it can be better maintained”

The court remarked that if the government had taken the charge of the park, then it should approach.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, in his remaaks, said that the municipality wanted to manage the park for some other reason.

Read More: ‘Development along Indus imperils blind dolphins’

“You have issued sub-leased to people there,” Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked, “Do you think we have not seen Sukkur?” We have visited every single corner of Sukkur.”

The chief justice was furious over the destruction of Sukkur and lack of care for turtles.

Expressing his anger, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that there are thousands of turtles in the Indus River and there is no one to take care of them. “We are all aware with the situation of the Sukkur administration. All the turtles are died as vehicle trampled them. Sukkur is in dilapidated condition What is left in Sukkur? Dolphins are extinct, what do these people do? The turtles could not find a safe way to get out from the river and into the canal.” The Supreme Court ordered the Sindh government and the Sukkur administration to create a safe passage for turtles. The court directed ordered all possible measures for the safety turtles coming out of the river.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2021.