‘Entities involved in theft, not to spare them’

KARACHI: The Chief Justice on Friday said that all institutions were involved in theft, including the Revenue department. He said they would not spare anybody. The CJP said buildings in the city were constructed as if lands were personal property. He said constructions in Karachi are risky which will collapse as all projects are just a heap of dust. He asked were those who were removed not encroachers.

He said the Keamari bridge could fall down. Many people died in building collapse in Karachi yesterday, but people slept peacefully. When you get pressure from above, then you work. “If a family member of a foreign ruler spent billions, what can we do.” He said the court will have to follow the law.

Hearing petitions against illegal encroachments on public parks and amenity lands for the revival of KCR and against unauthorised multi-storey buildings in Karachi, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed took an exception to the non-completion of the bus rapid transit system of the Sindh government for the last couple of years. The court directed the Pakistan Railways to revive and operate the Karachi Circular Railways (KCR) within six months and remove all encroachments from its route.

The court asked why the projects of Green Line and Orange Line projects had not been completed within a year and what the hurdle was for the government for not completing those projects. It observed that the Sindh government had just shown dreams to the people but had done nothing for providing any relief to them.

The court observed that people’s lives had become miserable due to the non-completion of transport projects. It said that the provincial government’s bus transit system had no future plan and they would have to demolish it after a few years in the name of a new transport project.

It further observed that people were dying but the government was harping on the same string, adding that there should be human factor, public service and sincerity with the country. The court observed that all the projects of flyovers and underpasses in Karachi were defective and they were on the verge of collapse.

It said that Keamari bridge was also in a dilapidated condition and it would also collapse one day. It added that people took several hours to travel from North Nazimabad to other parts of the city due to under construction roads and non-functioning of the Green Line project.

Referring to the recent building collapse incident in the Golimar area where at least 18 persons were killed, the chief justice observed that it is just the start of a countdown as almost all multi-storeyed projects were constructed on weak structures. The court observed that despite such unfortunate incidents, nobody has bothered to take any action against the SBCA officials. The court observed that people were crying due to the dilapidated condition of the city, but all civic agencies had failed to perform their duties and had ganged up to mint money.

The SC observed that people were dying due to building collapses, but the government functionaries were sleeping without any worry. It referred to the example of New Zealand’s prime minster, who did not sleep for a week after the Christchurch incident.

Justice Sajjad Ali Shah observed that several multi-storey buildings had been constructed in North Nazimabad area, and directed the advocate general of Sindh to file detailed reports on such buildings. Regarding the lack of public transport in the city, the court observed that 1955-era buses were plying in the city and no work was being done for plying public transport in the city.

The court observed that the provincial government was using delaying tactics so that the tenure of the judges could be over. The court made it clear that it would not allow such things to happen and would put behind bars all the administration responsible for non-compliance.

Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan submitted that he would give a briefing about the new circular railways under the CPEC project and the court may pass a necessary order after the briefing so that either the older circular railway could be revived or a time frame for a new circular railway be given for completion.

The court, after hearing the briefing, directed the railways to revive the mid-1990s KCR within six months. It directed the secretary railways to submit a complete schedule for the revival of the Karachi Circular Railways on March 26.

It observed that the Sindh government may continue work on its long-term extended circular railway under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project and make feasibility of underpasses and flyovers for such purposes. It directed the commissioner Karachi to remove all encroachments coming in the way of the KCR and submit a compliance report on the next date of hearing.

The court directed the commissioner to remove a structure of Gharib Nawaz Trust on Shahra-e- Qaideen which was constructed on the amenity greenbelt. The court observed that amenity purpose land could not be sold out to any individual.

The court also dismissed review applications filed by the affected residents of Royal Park Residency who sought recovery of their booking installments from the UAE-based owner.

News Desk adds: The advocate general Sindh, the attorney general, the chief secretary Sindh and the railways secretary, among others, were present for the hearing.

During the proceedings, the advocate general presented a copy of the Karachi Master Plan to the court for review. He informed the court that the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit project and the Orange Line have been completed, while remaining projects are under construction. “The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are providing funding for these projects,” he informed the court.

“The work should reflect the plans and maps you have handed over to us,” the chief justice said in response. However, it was clear he was not satisfied with the scope of the project. “This isn’t a forward-looking transport plan: it seems that you just wanted to spend some money, distribute some funds,” the chief justice remarked.

“We should shut these projects down if that is so,” the advocate general offered. “It doesn’t seem like you understand what we’re saying,” the chief justice said in response.

The officials, defending the time it took to complete the project, told the court that work on the Green Line had kicked off three years ago, highlighting that the project stretched from Surjani Town to Numaish. “You could have laid roads over all of Asia in three years,” Justice Gulzar retorted. “You had the money and the people: why wasn’t the project wrapped up within a year?”

Speaking about the Orange Line project, the advocate general promised that the service would be made operational by next year. “Why not next month?” the chief justice asked. “It seems as if you do not pay the contractors. Go to Nazimabad, it seems like no work is being done [on the project] there,” he said.

“The parties [responsible for the project] keep changing all the time. You keep showing us these wonderful visions of the future and have turned the lives [of people living in those areas] into a living hell meanwhile,” Justice Gulzar said. “You’re fiddling as people die.”

“The Qingqi [rickshaws] have started running on the streets again. They’ll turn all your transport projects to dust,” he noted. “There’s hundreds of thousands of motorcycles on the streets.”

“University Road is a big joke; Shaheed-e-Millat Road used to be a sight once upon a time.”“We are working. The Green Line and the Orange Line will be made operational soon,” the AG Sindh promised.

“The Red Line will be made operational by August 14,” he further promised.“And what about the Blue and Purple Lines?” asked the chief justice. “We are not working on those at the moment,” the AG responded.

“Please work for the country,” admonished the chief justice. “It seems you all do not work till someone stands bearing a stick over your head.”“When will the buses start running on the roads?” Justice Gulzar asked. “There are buses already plying the roads,” the AG Sindh answered.

“[Those] buses [currently] running on the roads are from 1955. The country’s most trash buses are running here,” the chief justice hit back.“Will you launch the new buses when I’ve gone home? When all of my fellow [judges] have gone home? Those protesting against the sorry state of affairs [in Karachi] are still standing outside, protesting. Nobody [in authority] seems the least bit bothered,” the judge remarked.

“So many people died in yesterday’s [building collapse], yet the responsible people are sleeping without a care in the world,” Justice Gulzar said.“We have removed 20 persons from the Sindh Building Control Authority [over negligence],” the AG answered.