Application was filed by a relative of one of the victims, through an non-profit organisation, Justice Helpline. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The relative of one of the victims of Saturday's deadly accident on National Highway has gone to court against the National Highway Authority (NHA), the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the Sindh government.
On Tuesday, the Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice, Maqbool Baqar, converted the application seeking a judicial inquiry into a constitutional petition and issued notices to the respondents to explain their positions by Wednesday. The fatal collision in which 62 people were burned alive occurred on Saturday.
The application was filed by Khalid H Abbasi, the relative of one of the victims, through an non-profit organisation, Justice Helpline. Abbasi is related to Muhammad Yamin, a lawyer who practiced at the Malir district courts.
Yamin was travelling with this family on the ill-fated bus when it collided with a trailer-truck owned by the National Logistics Cell, the petition stated. "None of the passengers survived and their bodies are lying at the Edhi morgue and have yet to be identified," he added.
Abbasi claimed that there was a fire tender of the Pakistan Steel Mills near the place of the accident but the officials declined to give any help. There is an acute shortage of fire tenders in the city but the Sindh government has yet to adopt any laws to fix this problem, he said.
The petitioner also pointed out that the Cattle Colony fire station opens at 9am and shuts down by 5pm. He found it strange that the fire department is so negligent and said that there are no checks and balances by the Sindh government or any other authority.
The applicant said the bereaved families are waiting for the bodies as they are lying in the mortuary's cold storage due to delays in DNA tests by the relevant authorities. He pleaded the court order a judicial inquiry into the matter and pass necessary orders against the NHA and others responsible for the grave negligence.
He also urged the court order the respondents to explain how the tragic accident took place and why immediate measures were not taken to save the lives of the injured. The court was also requested to direct the respondents to pay compensation to the affected families at the earliest.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2015.
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