Shedding load: Private banks get court notices for ‘encroaching’ on footpaths

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to various private banks for allegedly encroaching upon public footpaths by installing power generators.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, directed the bank authorities to submit comments by September 25.



The notices came on a petition filed by a civil rights campaigner, Rana Faizul Hasan, who had taken the provincial chief secretary, the local government secretary, the Environmental Protection Agency director and the local authorities to the court over their failure to rid the public footpaths of encroachments made by banks in different parts of the city. He submitted that the footpaths in the metropolis were constructed for the pedestrians, but many banks have encroached upon them by placing generators in all major areas including Saddar Town, Jamshed Town and Liaquatabad Town.

The power generators placed on the footpaths do not only force pedestrians to walk in the middle of the road but citizens also find it hard to pass by generators because of the smoke coming out of them, he had argued in the plea.

The petitioner alleged that provincial environmental protection agency was equally responsible for the situation, as it did not check the smoke-emitting generators, which not only pollute the environment but their sound also had a negative impact on humans living in close proximity.

Hasan maintained that the provincial and local governments were to be named responsible for the mess, as they had allowed the encroachments on the footpaths, which was a violation of the laws.

At a previous hearing, the judges had issued notices to the respondents to file their comments but a provincial law officer had pointed out that it was the banks that were required to be named as respondents in the petition.

On Monday, the petitioner filed the amended petition, naming various banks as respondents to the proceedings. The bench issued notices to them to file comments by September 25 and adjourned the hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2014.