SHC directs CBC to ensure water supply to Clifton, DHA

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) to ensure water supply to the residents of Defence Housing Authority (DGA) and other areas of the cantonment through bowsers as per the court order.

The direction came on petitions filed by residents for an improved water supply through pipelines in the area and against the imposition of additional charges for the water supply through tankers.

During the hearing of the petitions, a division bench of the SHC headed by Zafar Ahmed Rajput asked the cantonment board’s counsel why utility charges were being received when there were no water supply to residents of the cantonment areas. The counsel submitted that the CBC was collecting charges on account of maintenance.

He said that the required water was not being supplied by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation despite court orders. A counsel for the petitioners submitted that they were not being supplied water through bowsers despite court directives. The DHA counsel submitted that the petitioners were being issued tokens for water bowsers and assured compliance with the court order.

The high court directed the CBC to ensure water supply to the petitioners and other residents through bowsers and asked the petitioners to inform if water was not supplied to them so that further order may be passed.

It is pertinent to mention that the high court had earlier directed the federal and provincial governments to submit a proposal with regard to the formation of a higher board comprising all entities relating to approval of schemes in public and private to lessen the miseries of the common citizens.

The SHC had observed that one reason for the failure to resolve issues pertaining to basic amenities in Karachi was that utility service providers and other departments were governed by both the federal and provincial governments and they were not working under one umbrella due to which there were conflicts among them.

The court had observed that some departments had their own bylaws while the others had their own rules and asked how in such circumstances the issues of sewerage, electricity, water and plantation could be regulated. The SHC had directed the federal and provincial governments to submit a proposal with regard to formation of a higher board comprising all relevant entities relating to approval of schemes in the public and private sectors as well as basic amenities schemes.