KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday directed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and other authorities not to allow any unauthorised and illegal charged parking in the city.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, also sought a detailed compliance report and warned that in case of any violation of traffic laws, an appropriate action would be taken.

When the bench took up for hearing a set of petitions filed against charged parking in different parts of the provincial metropolis, the KMC filed comments in one of the petitions.

The KMC stated that it had always marked charged parking areas within its jurisdictions and installed boards on the sites highlighting needful guidance.

Traffic police asked to take ‘appropriate’ action against violation of laws

However, it further stated that such boards were removed or stolen every time after installation. It maintained that if visitors failed to follow charged parking rules by parking their vehicles at ‘no parking’ or making double lane parking, the traffic police would remove those vehicles in accordance with law.

The lawyers for the petitioners argued that the KMC and district municipal corporations (DMCs) were allowing unauthorised and illegal parking on several main and service roads as well as other public places across the city.

The bench in its order stated that by consent it was adjourning the matter till Sept 26, when all the lawyers for the parties must come prepared to proceed with the matter.

“In the meanwhile, the areas where according to learned counsel for the petitioners, unauthorised/illegal parking has been allowed or exorbitant amount is being charged, such areas may be highlighted and statement to this effect may be filed along with photographs, whereafter, appropriate order will be passed,” the bench stated in the order.

Further, the KMC, respective DMCs and traffic police were directed to ensure that no unauthorised and illegal charged parking would be allowed in the city and in case of any violation of traffic laws, appropriate action shall be taken in accordance with law and compliance may be furnished on the next date of hearing along with detailed report, the bench in its order added.

Last year, the DIG-traffic in his comments had informed the SHC during hearing of these petitions that the KMC, DMCs and cantonment boards were running 124 charged parking lots and 88 of them were on the main thoroughfares of the provincial metropolis.

The comments had further said that out of 124 parking lots set up on roads and markets of the city, 46 were being run by the KMC, 71 by DMCs, six by cantonment boards and one parking site was being run by the Civil Aviation Authority on its premises.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2023