HYDERABAD, Jan 6: The circuit bench of the Sindh High Court here on Monday issued notices to the additional AG, Sindh, SHOs of Cantonment and Baldia police stations and a contractor of the Hyderabad Cantonment Board to appear on Jan 14 in a petition challenging the collection of parking fees from Mazda vehicles by the contractor of the HCB.
The petition has been filed on behalf of the general secretary, Mazda Loading Owners Association, Noor Aslam.
According to the petition, the vehicles belonging to the association are being parked outside the town near the Gharibabad Chowk, Barrage Colony, since 1981.
It stated that the executive officer of the HCB had awarded the contract for collection of parking fees from vehicles parked at the bus stand near the Sindh Regimental Centre (SRC), Auto Bahn Road, for 2002-2003, to Nazeer Ahmed Rana.
It said that the association neither plied buses nor used any of the bus stands as the vehicles were parked in Gharibabad, Barrage Colony, which was outside the jurisdiction of both the town and Cantonment limits.
The petitioner stated that the contract letter, dated June 29, 2002, allowed the contractor to collect parking fees from buses, coaches, wagons and Suzukis at the prescribed rate from the parking area of the bus stand only.
The contract also allowed the contractor to collect parking fees from vehicles at the bus stand near the SRC Auto Bahn Road and as such the contractor was not authorised to charge parking fees from the vehicles of the petitioner association.
The petioner accused the respondents of collusion to charge parking fees from the petitioner forcibly and under threats.
The petitioner maintained that the parking fees was being charged from the vehicles of the association because of the wrong interpretation of facts.
The petitioner maintained that several applications had been filed against the contractor but nothing had been done to rectify the situation.
The petitioner association argued that the vehicles were being parked near Barrage colony on the recommendations of the Sindh Ombudsman, vide his order dated April 14, 1994 whereas no objection had been filed by the police and other authorities.
The petitioner requested the court to restrain the contractor from charging parking fees from the petitioner either directly or indirectly.