Payback time: CAA told to return security to car renter
Court orders the authority to deduct pending dues from the service provider.
PESHAWAR:
Peshawar High Court (PHC) has asked Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to clear all pending dues against a car rental service at Bacha Khan International Airport within 20 days. In case of failure to make the payment, the court has ordered the CAA to submit the amount with markup.
According to CAA Senior Advisor Obaid Abbasi, a tender was issued to Khalil rent-a-car service but it was found overcharging passengers in 2011. When CAA questioned Khalil, he approached the court stating the authority had been disturbing him. The court asked CAA not to disturb Khalil, asking him to continue his services.
However, Obaid alleged that CAA again received complaints from passengers over the rent-a-car service. He alleged that Khalil had unlawfully passed the contract to someone else. “CAA advertised the contract and gave it to another bidder, upon which Khalil filed a contempt of court petition, saying that CAA had defied court orders,” he added.
On Wednesday, during the hearing of the contempt of court petition, CAA’s Counsel Jahanzeb Khan informed a division bench comprising Justice Irshad Qaisar and Justice Qaisar Rasheed that CAA has never disturbed Khalil and advertised the contract following rules.
“We found another person eligible to be awarded the contract and that was advertised only for the purpose of healthy competition,” Khan said, adding CAA would never defy court orders. He further said that Khalil is least interested in keeping the contract.
The bench observed that if Khalil had not been interested in continuing the service, CAA should pay him his security back but should first deduct the pending dues against Khalil.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2012.
Peshawar High Court (PHC) has asked Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to clear all pending dues against a car rental service at Bacha Khan International Airport within 20 days. In case of failure to make the payment, the court has ordered the CAA to submit the amount with markup.
According to CAA Senior Advisor Obaid Abbasi, a tender was issued to Khalil rent-a-car service but it was found overcharging passengers in 2011. When CAA questioned Khalil, he approached the court stating the authority had been disturbing him. The court asked CAA not to disturb Khalil, asking him to continue his services.
However, Obaid alleged that CAA again received complaints from passengers over the rent-a-car service. He alleged that Khalil had unlawfully passed the contract to someone else. “CAA advertised the contract and gave it to another bidder, upon which Khalil filed a contempt of court petition, saying that CAA had defied court orders,” he added.
On Wednesday, during the hearing of the contempt of court petition, CAA’s Counsel Jahanzeb Khan informed a division bench comprising Justice Irshad Qaisar and Justice Qaisar Rasheed that CAA has never disturbed Khalil and advertised the contract following rules.
“We found another person eligible to be awarded the contract and that was advertised only for the purpose of healthy competition,” Khan said, adding CAA would never defy court orders. He further said that Khalil is least interested in keeping the contract.
The bench observed that if Khalil had not been interested in continuing the service, CAA should pay him his security back but should first deduct the pending dues against Khalil.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2012.