KARACHI, Feb 1: The city district government expressed on Wednesday its inability to allocate 200 acres to bus owners within the municipal limits in addition to plots of land already allotted for three bus terminals.
The city district government said in its comments on a petition moved by the Bus Owners Welfare Association that over 1,400 buses entered and left Karachi on a typical day. Inter-city travel for road transport to and from the city was possible through three points on Superhighway, National Highway and RCD Highway. The RCD Highway caters exclusively to inter-provincial transport while Superhighway serves both inter-city and inter-provincial traffic. The National Highway mostly serves locations in the interior of Sindh.
Besides 100 transport companies, individual owners operate buses on inter-city routes. They have established terminals at Banaras Chowk, Manghopir Road, Saddar, University Road, Karimabad, Rashid Minhas Road, M A Jinnah Road, Lea Market, Cantonment Railway Station, Mauripur Road and Shahrah-i-Pakistan. About 26 different routes using the city’s arterial road network tend to be preferred by the transporters. Most of the terminals have sprung up along the routes during the last few years. This has created serious traffic and environmental problems.
To ease the situation, the city district government submitted through Advocate Manzoor Ahmed that three terminals have been set up at the exit-entry points at Yousuf Goth along the RCD highway, at Razzaqabad on the National Highway and at Deh Bitti Amri at the Superhighway. To allow more terminals, particularly within the municipal limits, would increase congestion, cause traffic hazards and worsen air and noise pollution within the city. A Sindh High Court division bench ordered that a copy of the comments be furnished to the petitioner association and adjourned further hearing.
BILLBOARDS: Justice Gulzar Ahmed, meanwhile, issued the city district government a notice in a suit instituted by M/s Sign Source, an outdoor advertiser, against dismantling of hoardings installed by them for their corporate clients after paying dues and rent.
Advocate Navin Merchant submitted on behalf the plaintiff firm that it had erected the billboards on various sites under a renewable agreement valid till June 2006. The indiscriminate action being taken by the city district government was repugnant to the law and the CDGK’s contractual obligations. The court issued notice to the defendant government and restrained it from dismantling the hoardings in the meantime.
The contractor of the KWSB Officers and Engineers Association club has, meanwhile, moved a contempt application against the nazim and officials of the city district government for demolishing Sabzazar Lawns on Shahrea Faisal despite several stay orders passed by the court from time to time.
Advocate Abul Inam said the latest orders was made as recently as Jan 25. Another application for appointment of a receiver and against interference in the affairs of the KWSB Officers Association and its club was moved on Tuesday. Both the injunction and contempt applications are listed for hearing by Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Thursday.
