KARACHI: Extending its interim restraining order, the Sindh High Court has asked the parties to examine all legal aspects and possibility of providing a water connection to a private hospital in North Nazimabad from any other source other than the 48-inch main line providing water to area residents.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi ordered that a meeting in this regard might be convened in the office of the deputy commissioner-Central on Oct 11, where representatives of petitioners and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board will also be in attendance.

At the outset of the hearing, the bench heard the lawyers for parties. The counsel for the KWSB gave a proposal that all the parties might hold a meeting to settle the matter amicably in accordance with law within two weeks.

Adjourning the hearing till Oct 25, the bench extended its earlier interim restraining order for the respondents to maintain status quo in respect of subject water connection till the next date.

The bench passed such directives on a petition filed by some area residents against a water connection being given to Ziauddin Hospital from the main 48-inch line.

They contended that the KWSB through a sanction certificate issued in May had approved illegal water connection of two inches from the 48-inch main pumping line to the Ziauddin Hospital to be utilised for commercial purposes.

However, they maintained that the hospital has connected a four-inch pipeline from the bottom of the 48-inch main line, which otherwise was illegal and contrary to the impugned sanction certificate.

The petitioners submitted that the official respondents in connivance with the management of the private hospital had dug out around 1.5 kilometres of the road from KDA Chowrangi to the hospital creating serious nuisance to residents.

They submitted that they had tried approaching the KWSB and DC-Central, but instead of listening to them they used police to threaten them.

However, the KWSB claimed that the two-inch water connection was sanctioned for Ziauddin Hospital under its water connection service charges policy and such connections had also been sanctioned to many others hospitals from main bulk supply line.

It further submitted that the water utility was operating under the policy in which size of the water connection had been specified for hospitals, schools, colleges, government, housing schemes and trusts.

Earlier, the court nazir after inspecting the site, stated in his report that the water connection in question was in accordance with the approval of the KWSB.

The lawyer for the petitioners had filed objections to the nazir’s report stating that the KWSB concealed the data of availability of water in 48-inch line, details of areas depending on

the water supply as it was depriving the people of their legal right of water.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2022