SHC summons officials over bus terminal dispute

EDO Revenue CDGK is ordered to appear before a bench of the SHC.

KARACHI: The EDO Revenue of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) was ordered to appear before a bench of the Sindh High Court on Oct 12 as the EDO Law, representing the CDGK and the Additional Advocate General (AAG) representing the Sindh government disputed the allotment of land for a bus terminal for intercity buses (interior Sindh and Punjab).

The bench was hearing on Wednesday a constitutional petition filed by a number of transporters operating buses from Karachi to other parts of Pakistan and who park their vehicles near the Taj Medical Complex.

The petitioners impugned a notice by the Karachi Cantonment Board, asking them to remove their vehicles.

On Wednesday, when the petition was taken up by the SHC bench headed by the chief justice, EDO Law Manzoor Ahmed said that as far as the bus terminal for upper Sindh and Punjab is concerned, the government of Sindh has not allotted the land.

The AAG Sindh, representing the provincial government, disputed this as well and said that the land was allotted a long time ago but due to the negligence of the CDGK it was encroached upon.

After hearing the conflicting statements by the counsel for the two main official respondents, the court directed the EDO Revenue to be present before the court at the next hearing along with the necessary documents to ascertain the correct position.

On a query by the bench, the EDO Law said that a properly constructed terminal exists at Mochko for buses plying between Sindh and Balochistan but transporters are not fully occupying it and some of them are still parking their vehicles at Lea Market.

The bench ordered that under the circumstances, the Inspector General of Police was directed to ensure that such transporters do not park their vehicles any further at Lea Market and park at the new terminal. The IGP was also ordered to file a compliance report.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2010.