KARACHI, Nov 21: The Muslimabad hydrant and the tankers drawing water from it are wrecking the adjoining roads and buildings. All the residents and students are using service lanes at the back of their premises, and all the main gates opening on the main Pir Ellahi Bux Road, including those of a school and a shelter for the sick, have been closed because of the heavy tanker traffic, heap of mud caused by the hydrant and broken roads,” said a report submitted by the nazir of the Sindh High Court.

The report was submitted in pursuance of a court order of November 15, and it confirmed the allegations made by a petitioner, Mrs Ruth Sami Ahmad.

Representing the City district government, Advocate Manzoor Ahmed submitted that the Rangers were responsible for the tanker traffic, which caused the damage.

A division bench, comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Sajjad Ali Shah, asked the city government counsel to file comments instead of making a verbal reply.

The counsel confirmed the petitioner’s claim that the former city nazim had ordered removal of the hydrant but said the order could not be carried out.

The bench ordered that a notice be also issued to the rangers director-general besides fresh notices to the respondents cited by the petitioner, who was represented by Advocates Syed Sami Ahmad and Mirza Masood Baig.

PROTECTIVE BAIL: Justice Osmany granted protective bail to an auto parts importer M Tariq Qazi and his nephew, Zawwar, to enable them to appear before the trial court.

The importer alleged that he had been involved in a bogus copyrights case by a rival trader. The Preedy police kept him in illegal custody, extorted Rs20,000 and made him sign blank stamp papers, the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Shaukat Hayat, submitted.

The bench converted the petition into a bail application and granted protective bail to Tariq and Zawwar.

As for their allegations against the police, the bench said, they were free to seek their remedy by appropriate proceedings.

Notice to cdgk:A division bench comprising Justices Mushir Alam and Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery issued notices to the city district government and the Lyari Expressway Project in a petition moved by over 500 people allegedly displaced by the expressway project.

Advocate Shaukat Ali Shaikh submitted on behalf of the petitioners that they lived along the Lyari embankment PIB, Pak, Madina and other colonies and were displaced by the construction of the expressway.

A number of other displaced people were allotted 80-square-yard plots and given cash compensation amounting to Rs100,000 each but they have neither been allotted alternative plots nor given compensation.

The bench asked Additional Advocate-General Abbas Ali to waive notice on behalf of the provincial government and issued notices to the respondents, including the expressway project chief, for a date to be fixed by the SHC office.

The provincial and city governments were directed to submit a list of displaced people given compensation.

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