KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the inspector general of police (IGP) to issue necessary directions to all the SSPs of the province to ensure that no workshop in their jurisdiction shall install CNG kits and cylinders without obtaining training and certificate from the Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP).

A two-judge bench comprising Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Amjad Ali Sahito also directed its office to transmit its order to the IGP-Sindh and director general of the explosives department, government of Pakistan, to ensure its compliance.

The hearing was adjourned till Feb 23.

The bench observed that on the last date the representatives of the All Pakistan CNG Association had showed their intention to establish more than 35 CNG kits installation workshops so that substandard CNG kits or cylinders may not be installed in any vehicle.

On the last date, HDIP officials submitted that they had already trained 206 officials of different CNG stations throughout the country, adding that when any cylinder was referred to them, they check it and issue a certificate.

Syed Shayan Ahmed, counsel for the petitioner All Pakistan CNG Association, submitted that four CNG workshops had applied for licence and other applications were in process.

Additional advocate general Jawad Dero submitted that the Sindh government was making some amendments in the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965.

When the judges asked a representative of the DIG-traffic what action was being taken against the workshops which were not certified by the HDIP, the representative submitted that they were vigilantly checking the vehicles to remove substandard cylinders and kits not certified by the HDIP.

MQM-P plea against LG delimitation

The same bench was informed that the federal cabinet had approved the results of the sixth population and housing census 2017 and the same had been forwarded to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for its final approval and subsequent publication for the general public.

Assistant attorney general Hussain Bohra submitted this in a report regarding compliance of the court’s Dec 15, 2020 order on a petition of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.

He submitted that a federal cabinet meeting was convened on Dec 22, 2020 in which the census 2017 results were approved and that the matter was forwarded to the CCI for final approval. Thereafter, the census result 2017 will be published for the general public information, it added.

The joint secretary of the CCI, Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, Mir Aijaz Hussain Talpur, confirmed that they had received the decision of the cabinet and had forwarded the same to the members of the CCI.

He added that a meeting of the CCI would be convened within two weeks and thereafter a compliance report will be submitted.

The MQM-P filed the petition against the delimitation of local government constituencies in Sindh.

The lawyer for the petitioner argued that unless the results of the census were officially declared and notified, the delimitation exercise for local government elections would be useless and thus the petitioners approached the court for directions for finalisation of the same.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...