Oil tankers' terminal: Supreme Court asks MoP&NR to devise plan for construction

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Ministry of Petroleum to devise strategy for construction of Zulifiqarabad Oil Terminal (ZOT) in Karachi by taking all stakeholders on board. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was hearing a human rights case about place for oil tankers parking, initiated on the complaint of a Karachi resident, Ms Shafufta.
Federal Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Resources, Muhammad Ijaz Chaudhry, told the bench that total 200 acres of land had been allocated from Sindh government for the oil tankers parking purpose in 'ZOT'.
Giving details, he said that a total of Rs 313.53 million, required for making the ZOT functional, would be shared by five elements, including, government of Sindh Rs 156.8 million, CDGK Rs 47 million, oil marketing companies Rs 62.7 million, non-POL tankers Rs 31.36 million, and Ministry of Petroleum, through CSR, Rs 15.7 million.
Representatives of Oil Tankers Association were also present in the court who told the bench about their inability to pay parking fees according to the proposed schedule. The Chief Justice directed Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Resources, to talk with the representatives of oil tankers association to settle the issue amicably. The bench adjourned hearing for next 10 days with the direction to fix the case in Karachi Registry.