KARACHI: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to submit their replies on the recent Superhighway traffic tragedy that claimed over 60 lives.

The chief justice issued the directions on a letter addressed to him by the brother of a lawyer who was among the accident victims.

The chief justice converted the letter into a constitution petition and fixed its hearing for Wednesday (today).

Khalid H. Abbasi wrote to the chief justice that his brother, Advocate Mohammed Yasin Ahmeddin, and his family were also travelling in the bus and their bodies were lying at the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth.

He said there was fire tenders of Pakistan Steel Mills near the place of the accident but the PSM administration declined to give any assistance.

Mr Abbasi said there was acute shortage of fire tenders and the laws in this regard were not updated by the provincial government. He said the fire station at the nearby Cattle Colony (Bhains Colonly) remained open from 9am to 5pm.

The victim lawyer’s brother asked the court to order judicial enquiry into the matter and take action against the officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and others for their grave negligence.

He informed the chief justice that the victims’ families were waiting for the bodies of their near and dear ones, but the matter was being delayed due to DNA test of the victims.

The petitioner also asked the court to direct the officials of the NHA, the provincial government and Karachi Municipal Corporation to explain as to why the tragic incident occurred and no measures were taken to save the victims.

He also requested the SHC to order the authorities concerned to pay reasonable compensation to the victims’ families.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2015

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