PTCL drags KWSB to court over damaged lines

Technicians digging trenches for water, sewerage lines allegedly cut through telecom cables

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has dragged the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to court over damaging telecom lines during excavations across the city.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) On Monday issued notices to the parties on the contempt of court petition filed by PTCL against the regarding the damage to the lines during excavation across the city.

A two-member bench consisting of Justice Yusuf Ali Saeed and Justice Muhammad Abdul Rehman held a hearing on PTCL's contempt of court petition against KWSB. The petitioner's counsel stated that KWSB had excavated at five places without notifying PTCL.

According to an earlier court order, PTCL should be notified wherever an excavation takes place, however, KWSB technicians started digging up without notice resulting in damage to telecom lines causing encumbrance to users and financial loss to the utility.

The court issued notices to KWSB and PTCL and sought their response on July 6.

Meanwhile, a hearing was held on the petition of the Gujjar Nullah victims against non-payment of compensation despite the assurance given by the Supreme Court.

The petitioner's counsel submitted that my shop was demolished during the Gujjar Nala operation. The Sindh government had assured to provide alternative accommodation and compensation to the people evicted during the Gujjar Nullah anti-encroachment drive.

He said that the Sindh government released only two cheques worth Rs90,000 as compensation and then the payments stopped. The petitioner said that people made homeless in the name anti-encroachment drive were forced to live in a rented house in spite of the promise of alternative accommodation by the government.

The court issued notices to the Karachi commissioner and Central district deputy commissioner and others and asked the parties to respond on September 6.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2023.