KARACHI, Jan 25: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the City District Government Karachi, Karachi Cantonment Board, Regional Transport Authority and others on a petition against illegal intercity bus terminals in the city.

A division bench, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, also issued notices to the advocate general and the deputy attorney general directing the respondents to file their respective comments on the matter.

Petitioners Mehfoozun Nabi, Tanveerul Haq Thanvi and others submitted in the petition that illegal intercity bus terminals had been operating in Saddar and its adjoining areas for the past 15 to 20 years making the residents' lives miserable.They submitted that there were about 14 unauthorised bus terminals on Saghir Hussain Shaheed Road, Mansfield Street and in some parts of Lines Area but no action was being taken to remove these bus terminals from the residential areas despite several complaints lodged with the authorities concerned.

The petitioners stated that the presence of the illegal intercity buses was not only creating hardship for the residents but also causing nuisance for the hospitals and the educational institutions situated in the neighbourhood.

They said while the intercity bus terminals had been shifted from the old Sabzi Mandi and Lea Market areas to Mochko, no step was being taken to remove intercity bus terminals from the Saddar area.

They prayed to the court to restrain the operation of intercity buses in the city, disallowing them to cross the Sohrab Goth intersection. They also prayed to the court to order the removal of the intercity bus terminals from Saddar and other areas of the city.

Freewill couple plea

A division bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, put the Khairpur Nathan Shah police officials and the provincial chief law officer on notice on a petition of a freewill couple against the registration of a 'false' kidnapping case.

Petitioner Shazia submitted that she had married Luqman of her freewill in September last year without the consent of her family. She stated that her family members did not accept her marriage and lodged a false kidnapping case against her husband and in-laws.

The woman apprehended the arrest of her spouse in the false case and prayed to the court to order the cancellation of the case.

She also prayed to the court to restrain the police from arresting her husband in the case.

The bench restrained the police from arresting Luqman and his family members till further orders.