ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: The Supreme Court has taken serious notice of the dilapidated conditions of roads and sewerage in Clifton, directing the authorities to come up within a week with steps being taken to rectify the situation.

Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan Rana Bhagwandas has taken up the matter on a complaint of Dr Asim Hussain of Ziauddin Medical University regarding the filthy conditions of roads and sewerage in Clifton that have added to the miseries of the people.

In his complaint, Dr Asim had painted a horrible, battered and filthy picture of the conditions of the roads and sewerage especially in Block 8, Clifton.

"If the situation is correct, it reflects gross negligence, acute inefficiency and utter failure in the discharge of duties on part of the Clifton Cantonment Board as well as the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board," the acting chief justice observed.

In his order, the acting chief justice has directed the chief executive officer of the Clifton Cantonment Board, the commander of the Clifton Cantonment Board and the chairman/administrator of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to submit reports within seven days specifying measures taken to ameliorate the grievance of the petitioner as well as the citizens of the Clifton.

Attorney-General Makhdoom Ali Khan and Advocate-General of Sindh Anwar Mansoor are also required to appear before the court when the matter will be taken up to assist the court in arriving at a correct conclusion.

It is a common complaint among the citizens of Karachi that monsoon rains always brought miseries to them and put the life in the economic nerve centre to a grinding halt.

The situation also exposed the incompetence of the relevant civic agencies as usually the main roads turned into the knee-high streams with the storm-water drainage system clogged. Pools of standing sewerage water also resulted in the outbreak of diseases like conjunctivitis, gastro-enteritis and skin allergies.