Senior bureaucrats in hot waters

Contempt petition initiated against irrigation secretary, former CS

KARACHI:

Senior bureaucrats have landed themselves in hot water over their failure to comply with court orders with the initiation of contempt proceedings.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to Irrigation Secretary Sohail Qureshi and former chief secretary Mumtaz Shah on a contempt of court petition related to the non-payment of dues to a private company in a contract of the Irrigation Department.

The court ordered the official to appear before it and charges will be filed on a contempt of court application. The SHC also issued show-cause notices to Sindh Chief Secretary Sohail Zafar Rajput. The court ordered the contempt accused to appear in person on May 27.

It rejected the reply of former chief secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah. The court remarked that in the reply, there was no explanation for failing to implement the court's order and nor was there an apology. The court expressed satisfaction over the reply of Finance Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro.

The court remarked that the finance secretary could not initiate a summary of the payment. The bench removed the name of the finance secretary from the contempt proceedings.

It remarked that the Sindh government's lawyers could not point out any mistake in the review petition. According to the report submitted to the court, authorities confirmed that the payment amount in question was Rs585.1 million.

The SHC ordered the Sindh government to pay the amount to the company within a month. It remarked that the Irrigation Department and other officials had conducted the GPR test of the work themselves.

The government, in its own report, described the work as satisfactory and estimated the amount paid. The SHC had ordered payment on February 3, 2022, at the request of Ashraf D Baloch Company. The court had also rejected the Sindh government's request for review.

In the petition, it was stated that NAB had also initiated an inquiry into the complaint of defects in the work of Jamrao Canal. NAB had conducted a GPR test from the Geology Department of the University of Peshawar. The University of Peshawar described the work of the canal as satisfactory. Following the university report, NAB terminated the inquiry against Ashraf D Baloch Company.

SHC order in Nimrah
Kazmi case

The SHC has issued a written order on the petition regarding Nimrah Kazmi's alleged kidnapping. The written order says that the investigating officer has submitted the report in court.

According to the police report, the team is in Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa, for the recovery of Nimrah Kazmi, but no action has been taken because the team didn't get permission to conduct the raid. A raid will be carried out to recover Nimrah Kazmi as soon as the Punjab Home Department grants permission. Nimrah Kazmi will be recovered and brought before the court at the next hearing.

According to the written order, the court ordered to produce Nimrah Kazmi in the Sindh High Court on May 25. The video statement of Nimrah Kazmi regarding her marriage to a boy from Dera Ghazi Khan has surfaced.

Construction of illegal portions

SHC has directed DG-SBCA to take action on a petition against the creation of illegal portions in Quetta Town Cooperative Housing Society.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi heard the petition.

According to the petitioner's counsel, illegal portions are being built in Quetta Town.

The organisations and societies concerned are not ready to take any action. SBCA should be directed to take stern action against illegal portions, the counsel urged.

The court remarked that the DG must complete the proceedings against the illegal portions within 30 days. If the construction is illegal, it should be demolished as soon as possible, and DG-SBCA must submit a progress report by June 3.

Hyderabad demolitions

An order of SHC regarding partial demolition of a commercial building, which may lead to the demolition of the entire structure in the Latifabad area, is yet to see compliance.

Although the Sindh Building Control Authority belatedly issued a notice on May 13 to the builder Muhammad Waseem in the light of the April 14 SHC order, no action has been taken despite the completion of a three-day warning period.

Waseem is constructing a ground plus four commercial buildings on two amalgamated plots measuring 300 square yards each in Latifabad Unit No 6. The status of the said plots was also converted from residential to commercial, an activity which at present has been banned by the SHC in Hyderabad.

Waseem has allegedly deviated from the approved layout plan and has not left proper open spaces, raising the structure of all four stories so far.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2022.