The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday summoned reports from the Board of Revenue (BoR) and Sindh Disaster Management Authority on their efforts for rehabilitation of families that were displaced by floods in 2010. The two-member bench led by Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on head of SDMA over his failure to appear in court and file a report on rehabilitation of people displaced by 2010 floods despite court directives.
The court once again directed him to appear in court on next hearing along with a fine of Rs 25,000 to be deposited in SHC library fund or else contempt of court proceedings shall be initiated against him. The petitioner, Flood Relief Camp Committee, which is a representative organisation of thousands of flood-affected families, moved the court for rehabilitation of displaced people.
Counsel for petitioner submitted that thousands of families that were displaced by 2010 floods were given temporary shelter in Labour Square, Gulshan-e-Maymar where they were given all utilities and their children were getting education in the schools set up by the authorities concerned. He informed the apex court the provincial government wanted to take away possession from them of that temporary accommodation without providing them an alternative place. In this regard, he said, Sindh Workers Welfare Board had published an advertisement inviting applications for the allotment of flats to industrial workers.