HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court has directed Sindh chief secretary to appear in court on Dec 14 and explain his position on government’s failure to take concrete steps to redress flood victims’ sufferings despite issuance of several orders and submission of undertakings by the officials concerned.

A division bench comprising Justices Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Adnanul Karim Memon passed the order on Thursday on multiple petitions pertaining to large scale devastations by the recent floods filed by victims and lawyers.

The bench issued a show-cause notice to the chief secretary’s focal person Dr Saeed Ahmed Qureshi for his absence from the court despite directives issued to him in the previous (October 27) hearing.

The court had passed several orders but the government had not made any progress on their compliance and only filed reports showing progress on papers, noted the court in the order.

Nothing tangible has been done despite undertakings and promises by officials, SHC bench regrets

Referring to the order passed in the previous hearing, the court observed that the auditor general was directed to conduct a forensic audit of the funds released by Sindh government to districts for the rehabilitation of flood victims but nothing had been done in this regard since then.

Dr Qureshi, focal person for the CS, had sought a month’s time on the previous hearing to submit a progress report and in the meantime submit an interim report on the efforts and steps taken so far to redress the victims’ grievances.

The order noted the focal person was absent from hearing without any intimation to the court. “Let a show-cause notice be issued to him,” read the order, adding that government functionaries and representatives of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) made tall claims that all areas had been dewatered but nothing had been done yet to that effect.

It said that Khairpur Nathan Shah (Dadu district), Tando Adam (Sanghar district), Thari Mirwah (Khairpur district) and Bhan Syedabad (Jamshoro district) etc were still under floodwaters and people were living along roadsides and what was more the additional advocate general (AAG) Sindh and other law officers had not rebutted these assertions.

The court said that it was adjourning the hearing to Dec 14 when the CS would be present and explain the government’s position on why nothing tangible had been done yet to allay sufferings of people despite several court orders and undertakings and promises submitted by the officials concerned.

The order was passed on petitions filed by lawyers Mumtaz Ahmed Lashari, Ishrat Ali Lohar, Ejaz Awan, Ayaz Khaskheli, Ghulamulalh Chang and Altaf Sachal Awan on behalf of their clients.

Earlier on Oct 27, the bench had told the CS’s focal person that an interim report should be submitted and thereafter magistrates would be asked to visit the flood-hit areas again where they had found relief and rescue work to be unsatisfactory during their first visit.

PDMA director general Salman Shah had informed the bench that 80 days were required to dewater Dadu, 60-80 days to clear Khairpur Nathan Shah and 30 days were needed to drain floodwaters from Khairpur district.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2022