KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday appointed its nazir as commissioner for inspecting the construction work on a traffic project in Clifton.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan granted the Bahria Town request for the inspection of the construction site of a flyover and two underpasses in Clifton.

The bench directed the court nazir to submit a report after inspection within 15 days.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Bahria Town had separately filed appeals challenging the order of a single bench of the SHC barring the real estate firm from carrying out the construction of the flyover and underpasses in the Clifton area.

Appearing in the court on behalf of the KMC, Advocate Farooq H. Naek submitted that a huge investment had been made in pursuance of the project and the entire excavation and a major portion of the work had been completed. A lot of hardship was being caused to commuters due to the suspension of the work, he added.

The project would ease traffic congestion around the area of Park Towers and the shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi, he said, adding that the project was of national importance and suspension of the work following the SHC order was causing not only inconvenience to the public but also a colossal loss to the KMC.

The counsel for the Bahria Town argued that the single bench had not taken into consideration the fact that the DHA had no locus standi to institute the lawsuit, as it had no concern with the project.

The court was asked to set aside the order of the single bench against the construction.

On April 29, an SHC single bench had allowed the DHA application and ruled that all construction in relation to the project be immediately stopped. The bench had asked the KMC to obtain a mandatory environmental impact assessment report from the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency on the project.

Notices issued

The high court on Tuesday issued notices to the chief secretary, additional chief secretary (planning & development), principal secretary to the chief minister and others in a petition of lawmakers belonging to Thatta district seeking funds for development schemes.

In the petition filed by MNA Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi (NA-238) and MPAs Syed Aijaz Ali Shah Shirazi (PS-84), Syed Ameer Hyder Shah Shirazi (PS-85) and Syed Shah Hussain Shah Shirazi (PS-86), it was stated that Rs40 million had been allocated in the financial year 2013-14 for development schemes to be executed through each lawmaker in Sindh.

They said the authorities had sent them a letter on Nov 18, 2013, asking them to submit proposals for development schemes in their constituencies. “We furnished our proposals but the same were not considered on the ground of a political rivalry.

”They asked the court to direct the authorities to submit in court the record of approved development schemes for lawmakers and process the proposals submitted by them regarding development schemes to be executed in Thatta.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2014