A division bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) Thursday ordered appearance of Secretary Transport Sindh, DIG Traffic, Director General Environmental Protection Agency and representative of City Government before it in a petition against faulty vehicles.
Naming the City District Government Karachi, (CDGK), Sindh Secretary Labour and Transport and Deputy Inspector General, (Traffic), as respondents, petitioner Islam Hussain advocate moved SHC in person against the defective vehicles in the city.
The bench comprising Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali and Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed sought appearance of the respondents on September 20, so that further necessary steps may be taken in the matter for implementation of orders earlier passed by the High Court in the matter.
Regarding a report submitted before the bench on August 23, by DIG Traffic about the measures taken by Traffic Police against faulty vehicles, the bench observed that the report of DIG Traffic was nothing more than an eye-wash looking into its true perspective and the prevailing condition of pollution in Karachi. Petitioner submitted that poisonous smoke emission from the defective public transport was causing cancer, chest and throat diseases.
The bench observed that petitioner has rightly voiced his grievance that despite several orders passed by the High Court in this direction from time to time; on ground there was no substantial progress for implementation of such orders by the concerned departments of Sindh Government and City Government.
Petitioner submitted that the defective meters in the vehicles were subjecting the citizens to double fares and encroachments on public roads causing traffic blockade and resulting in delay for people in reaching courts and their offices.
He maintained that noise was a dangerous pollution and smoke emission from public vehicles was causing fatal diseases to public but despite specific directions from the Supreme Court, no action was being taken by authorities concerned.
He submitted that during past years public roads have been encroached upon by transporters/owners of large buses operating from city to long routes to the extent that passage for smooth traffic was blocked in the morning.
Petitioner prayed for directives to respondents for removing all alleged illegal encroachments/bus stops made over public road, specifically, from Nishtar Road and Business Recorder Road as well as from Lasbella to Guru Mandir, where taxi/auto rickshaws have made permanent parking places blocking the roads.
He prayed SHC to direct CDGK and Traffic Department for taking immediate action under provisions of law against the vehicles emitting poisonous smoke, causing noise pollution and using defective meters.
The bench directed that Secretary Transport, DIG Traffic, DG EPA and responsible officer from City District Government Karachi should appear before it on next date of hearing.