Temple case: SHC wants restoration work to start immediately
The All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat Council went to court against damages caused to its 150-year-old place of worship
KARACHI:
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday ordered a private construction company to immediately initiate work for the restoration of a Hindu temple damaged during construction work in Clifton.
Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, who headed the bench, ordered that restoration work should start Tuesday and warned of initiating a contempt of court case if it wasn’t done within 15.
The All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat Council went to court against damages caused to its 150-year-old place of worship, Sri Ratneshwar Mahadev Mandir, by excavations to build a flyover and two underpasses by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation with financing from a private construction company.
On November 6, the judges had summoned the chief engineer and the representative of the construction company, who were working on the restoration project but had failed to complete it despite repeated directions and grants for more time.
On Tuesday, Rizwan Afzal, the project engineer said that the construction of retention wall towards the beach had already started progressively reaching the temple side. He claimed, however, that the summary report had suggested that rocks along the temple may not be removed through vibration and suggested a procedure for their removal and chemical to be used in the process.
He said that the retention wall was being built as an emergency measure, adding that the same would be completed within two weeks without fail.
Afzal assured the court that his client would comply with the same.
The bench granted 15 days time for completion of retention wall and ordered that the work on it should start by Tuesday and completed without fail. It also warned that non-compliance of the assurance given by the company’s official would expose all concerned to contempt of court proceedings.
Haider Waheed, the lawyer representing the council, assured that the temple management would not restrict the work on the proposed retention wall, but the respondents may be ordered to not to encroach upon the parking area of the temple.
Adjourning hearing for a date to be later notified by the office, the two-judges ordered the construction company to ensure that the parking area is not encroached upon.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2014.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday ordered a private construction company to immediately initiate work for the restoration of a Hindu temple damaged during construction work in Clifton.
Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, who headed the bench, ordered that restoration work should start Tuesday and warned of initiating a contempt of court case if it wasn’t done within 15.
The All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat Council went to court against damages caused to its 150-year-old place of worship, Sri Ratneshwar Mahadev Mandir, by excavations to build a flyover and two underpasses by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation with financing from a private construction company.
On November 6, the judges had summoned the chief engineer and the representative of the construction company, who were working on the restoration project but had failed to complete it despite repeated directions and grants for more time.
On Tuesday, Rizwan Afzal, the project engineer said that the construction of retention wall towards the beach had already started progressively reaching the temple side. He claimed, however, that the summary report had suggested that rocks along the temple may not be removed through vibration and suggested a procedure for their removal and chemical to be used in the process.
He said that the retention wall was being built as an emergency measure, adding that the same would be completed within two weeks without fail.
Afzal assured the court that his client would comply with the same.
The bench granted 15 days time for completion of retention wall and ordered that the work on it should start by Tuesday and completed without fail. It also warned that non-compliance of the assurance given by the company’s official would expose all concerned to contempt of court proceedings.
Haider Waheed, the lawyer representing the council, assured that the temple management would not restrict the work on the proposed retention wall, but the respondents may be ordered to not to encroach upon the parking area of the temple.
Adjourning hearing for a date to be later notified by the office, the two-judges ordered the construction company to ensure that the parking area is not encroached upon.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2014.