The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed chairman and secretary of Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) to submit a detailed report regarding shifting of oil tankers being parked in the vicinity of a residential colony in Clifton, Karachi within two weeks.
A three-member bench comprising Justices Javed Iqbal, Jawad S Khawaja and Anwar Zaheer Jamali also directed Sindh High Court registrar to visit the site, allotted by the provincial government for parking of oil tankers and submit a separate report.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had earlier ordered shifting of oil tankers' parking lot from Shirin Jinnah Colony to Karachi Port Trust for the time being, besides directing City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to make operational the allotted place for the parking in Zulfiqarabad within one month, as it was collecting tax form citizens.
Yousaf Leghari, Advocate General, Sindh informed the court that CDGK had allotted 690 acres of land to tankers association to set up a parking lot, while Shafiq Usman, counsel for Oil Tankers Association, told that the land allotted by the CDGK is not fit for use being uneven without any boundary wall. Moreover, Usman contended that the allotted land turns into marsh being low-lying during rainy season, which can not be used for parking.
The residents of Clifton Block 1 have alleged that the oil tanker mafia had occupied a big chunk of land in the central area of Shirin Jinnah Colony and set up an illegal parking lot with garages for tankers.
The phenomenon, according to residents, is the main cause of noise and air pollution, which is harmful to human health. In the petition filed in the apex court, they residents had prayed to save them from sufferings, being created by the parking lot.