KARACHI, Feb 7: The Sindh High Court admitted more writ petitions challenging charged parking in various parts of the city on Friday and decided to hear them together.

A total of six petitions have been filed against the imposition of parking tax by individuals and organizations. A “concerned citizens association” has also sought to be impleaded as an intervener.

A division bench, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jafri, ordered that all petitions be clubbed together for regular hearing on a date to be fixed by office.

The first petition was filed by Advocate Jawaid Ahmed Siddiqui against parking charges recovered at a Clifton shopping mall. He pointed out that there was no provision whatsoever in the new Local Government Ordinance to empower the City District Government Karachi to levy, recover or collect parking fee or authorize a contractor to do so in its behalf. If at all, the town committee might impose the tax but after observing the due procedure, ie, by passing a resolution, inviting public objections, specifying parking lots and approving the schedule of rates. The defunct KMC had some justification to recover the levy because it had fulfilled most of the requirements.

Admitting the petition in September last, the bench had declined to stay the recovery of the tax, but asked the city government to submit a statement of account in respect of the amount collected at the Clifton plaza concerned and deposit the proceeds with the Nazir of the court. The respondent provincial and city governments and the Saddar town committee were issued notices and asked to submit comments, but a rejoinder was filed only on behalf of the city government’s finance director, one of whose official communications turned out to be the only authority for imposition of the impugned levy. In the meanwhile, more petitioners challenging charged parking in other areas came forward and their petitions were also admitted.