Fixing blame: Court issues notice to power utility, govt over heatwave deaths

Petitioner wants the court to take action against Centre, provincial govt and K-Electric

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices on Monday to the ministries of law and justice, water and power, the privatisation commission, the provincial chief secretary, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and the K-Electric on a petition seeking action over the deaths of over 1,000 people due to the non-availability of water and electricity during the current heatwave in Karachi.

A division bench, comprising justices Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Shaukat Ali Memon, also issued notice to the federal and provincial governments' law officers to file their replies before the matter is taken up in the first week of August. Meanwhile, the petitioner, Moulvi Iqbal Haider, will also satisfy the court on the maintainability of his petition for hearing and passing orders on it.

Maulvi Iqbal Haider, who approached the court to initiate public interest litigation, said that the extreme effects of the scorching temperature have been felt throughout world and the country, but during its manifestation in Karachi, over 1,000 deaths were reported from the poor localities. The federal and provincial governments were bound by the Constitution to provide basic facilities to citizens, according to Articles 37 and 38 of the Constitution, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2015.