HYDERABAD, Nov 14: The chief executive officer of the Cantonment Board Hyderabad, Mr Naeem Jan Khan, on Monday asked the contractor of the Qasim chowk bus terminal not to charge parking fee from bus drivers at the Qasim bus chowk or at any other place within the cantonment premises.

A division bench of the Sindh High Court, principal seat, declared the parking fee illegal.

The CEO received a copy of the court order on Monday and immediately wrote a letter to the contractor, Mohammad Younus, whose employees were charging more than Rs1,000 from each bus driver for a trip to Karachi although terms and conditions of the contract given following an auction the contractor has to charge only Rs100.

The contractor has already been asked verbally by the CBH authorities not to charge the parking fee following the high court directives but after communication of the court order written directive has been issued.

The division bench passed the order on a constitutional petition, filed by Raj Kumar alias Raja Gul and Mir Afzal Khan, against the bus terminus, citing the CBH, Sindh chief secretary, Provincial Transport Authority, DP Hyderabad, DSP traffic, SHO Bhittai Nagar police station, Mohammad Younus, the contractor and DCO Hyderabad as respondents.

The court directed the contractor to stop charging of parking fee from any person in pursuance of auction made by the CBH in his favour forthwith.

The court said that the remaining respondents were directed not to provide any assistance to respondent CBH and the contractor in connection with charging of parking fee which has been declared to be illegal.

The Qasim chowk Hyderabad-Karachi bus terminus has been bone of contention between the contractor and owners of air-conditioned buses as the latter accused the former of overcharging from them.

It led to confrontation between drivers and contractor on numerous occasions, causing injuries to drivers as the contractor’s employees strong arm tactics against them for refusal to pay parking fee at exorbitant rates.

The contract was auctioned for Rs25.5 million in July for 2005-05 but the contractors charged between Rs800 to Rs1,000 from each coach driver.

SURVEY: The Cantonment Board Hyderabad has requested military authorities to provide them technical assistance for conducing a survey for determination of dangerous commercial and residential buildings within premises of the CBH, it was learnt on Monday.