Oil tankers be shifted to Zulfikarabad terminal, orders SHC

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday ordered for all oil tankers to be shifted to the Zulfiqarabad Oil Terminal so it could be used as a fixed parking zone for tankers and other related matters.

Issuing the interim order, the court also directed the Sindh government, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and all authorities concerned to ensure that the remaining development work at the terminal is completed as per the master plan within two months.

The court also directed the chief secretary to submit a report regarding the matter of allotment of 50 acres land near Hub for parking of oil tankers coming from Balochistan.

The directives came on a petition of Faisal Bengali and others regarding the prevailing traffic situation in the city and movement of heavy vehicles in the city during day hours.

The court’s official assignee in his report maintained that 25 percent work on the terminal has been completed, providing a parking space for at least 600 oil tankers. His report further maintained that the KMC could construct the rest of the terminal with the revenue generated after making the terminal functional.

Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar submitted that oil tankers could be parked at the site with 50 percent of it completed and requested the court to direct oil tanker owners to shift their vehicles from Shireen Jinnah Colony to the ZOT.

He submitted that short term measures would be taken to provide an alternate route to heavy vehicles, whereas a separate lane could be allocated for containers coming from KPT.

Regarding movement of heavy traffic, the court observed that the DIG Traffic’s report maintained that heavy vehicles including freight containers continued to easily move through the city on the specified routes through the Superhighway, National Highway and the Northern Bypass to Karachi’s industrial areas.

The court further maintained that the transporters and the KPT were creating a false impression that the city’s transport business had come to a halt following the restriction on their movement.

After perusal of the report, the three routes currently open for the movement of heavy vehicles show that the vehicles can easily operate and are still operating between the port and highways, and all the main industrial areas, the high court observed.

The court directed the DIG Traffic to let heavy vehicles pass through the specified routes and directed the provincial government to retain the DIG Traffic till a final decision on the petition is taken.

The SHC, however, stated that the transporters concern regarding the dilapidated condition of the link roads between the Super and National highway and the Lyari Expressway need to be addressed on a priority basis.

The court directed the federal and provincial governments to submit compliance reports with regard to the repair and reconstruction work of the link road on the next date of hearing. The court also issued notice to National Highway Authority, after also including the NHA as a respondent, to submit a detailed report over the matter.

On the mayor’s suggestion that a committee be formed to resolve the city’s traffic problems and streamline the movement of heavy vehicles, the court observed that the suggestion will be considered on the next date of hearing. The court asked the concerned parties to suggest names of people they want in the committee.

With respect to implementation of court orders on installation of barriers and check-posts on entry and exit points of Karachi, the court observed that the chief secretary’s focal person had maintained in his report that the matter had been finalised and a compliance report will be submitted by the chief secretary.

However, from the report submitted in court by chief secretary Rizwan Memon, it appeared that the Sindh government had not taken any serious initiative for the implementation of the orders. The CS has also been summoned at the next hearing to explain the matter.  

Memon had in his report submitted that for establishing entry, exit points and check posts, financial implications, marking of the land and other related issues will be evaluated and that the process to implement court orders will soon be initiated.

He also stated that the matter regarding establishment of entry points at the Super and National highways will be taken up after construction of the motorway.

His report further maintained that due to a ban on movement of heavy vehicles in the city, no heavy vehicles were carrying out the routine transportation from the KPT to other party of the country or vice versa, and that the national exchequer had borne a huge loss because of this whereas the country’s economy has also been disturbed.