Excavation obstructed: SHOs put on notice in contractor case

The petitioner said that the police had prevented the completion of work.

KARACHI: The station house officers (SHOs) of PS Mines and Minerals and PS Shah Latif have been issued notices for January 5, 2012 by a division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justice Maqbool Baqer and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar.

The case involves a private contractor who alleges that the police stopped him from lifting earth from an area allotted to him.

The petitioner, Muhammad Idrees, was also heard by the SHC. Idrees maintained that he had secured a three-month contract for lifting earth against a certain period. He said that he had undertaken the work and was removing earth when policemen obstructed him and interfered. Hence, Idrees was unable to work for the period of his contract.

As a result of Idrees’ petition, the respondents were asked to extend the period of the contract. The petition was disposed of and the Mines and Mineral department was directed to decide on Idrees’ application for an extension in the period of his contract.

According to Idrees, the respondents gave two extensions but as soon as he began work, they interfered and arrested workers and labourers.

The court was prayed to declare the cancellation of permission granted for three months, but curtailed for unknown reasons, as illegal and to allow the petitioner to excavate earth for the entire period of the contract.

The bench ordered that pre-admission notices be issued to the SHOs.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2011.