SHC wants Burnes Road’s post-6pm situation inspected

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday appointed the Nazir of the court as commissioner to inspect Burnes Road and submit a report with regard to its closure after 6pm.

The direction came on a petition against the closure of Burnes Road during the evening hours, when the road is turned into a food street. According to the petition, the residents of the Burnes Road area have been facing extreme difficulties due to the decision of the district administration to block roads between 7pm and 2am for the food street.

The petitioners’ counsel said that an elderly woman had died due to the evening traffic restrictions on Burnes Road after she could not be provided with emergency medical relief. The petitioners requested the court to direct the district administration to withdraw the notification with regard to the closure of roads so that the residents and other people are not denied access.

The counsel said the Sindh government has converted Burnes Road into a food street, where neither the traffic is allowed to move nor the vehicles are allowed to be parked from 6pm until late into the night.

He said the shopkeepers and hotel owners have closed both sides of the road by installing fences with chains and setting tables, due to which the residents of the locality are suffering severely. He added that the court may appoint the court’s Nazir as commissioner to ascertain the facts.

An SHC division bench comprising Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar and Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput said that since the petitioners seek only an inspection of an area to ascertain the situation from 6pm onwards, the Nazir will check Burnes Road without the issuance of a notice to

any party. The bench said the submission of the Nazir’s report will specifically mention the position of Burnes Road, stating whether or not the road is being closed for vehicles.