NHA issued with notice on plying of heavy vehicles during daytime

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday issued a notice to the National Highway Authority (NHA), the transport secretary and others on a petition against the plying of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Karachi during daytime.

Petitioner Faisal Bengali and others had filed a petition with regard to the prevalent traffic situation in the city and the movement of HGVs during daytime. His counsel Abdul Rehman said the route map submitted to the court by the traffic DIG is not being implemented in letter and spirit.

Focal person of the transport secretary Yar Mohammad said two terminals have been established and they are functional, but the chairman of the transporters association and the petitioner denied the claim.

Chairman Asif Mehmood said a huge place has already been earmarked by the government for the establishment of a bus terminal and a truck terminal, but no action has been taken so far by the provincial administration to set them up so the traffic load in the city could be curtailed.

The SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar observed that the high court on May 13 last year had impleaded the NHA in the case with orders for making the link road and the Lyari Expressway fit for HGVs.

The court observed that the petitioners did not file the amended title impleading the NHA as a respondent in the case. The bench issued notices to the NHA’s general manager, the transport secretary and Karachi’s commissioner and mayor to appear in court and provide assistance in the case.

The petitioner’s counsel also sought time to place on record the order of the Supreme Court in which the top court had directed the commissioner to convene a meeting to ensure that the Zulfikarabad oil tankers terminal is made completely operational. The court directed the parties concerned to file their respective comments on November 15.

In the previous hearing the court had observed that three routes presently allowed for heavy vehicles shows that they can easily operate and are still operating between the port and highways as well as between the port and the all main industrial areas.

The court directed the traffic DIG to continue to allow HGVs on the routes specified for such vehicles. The SHC observed that the concern of the transporters about the present condition of the link road between the Super Highway and the National Highway and the Lyari Expressway needs to be addressed on priority basis.

The court directed the federal and provincial governments to submit a compliance report with regard to the repair and reconstruction of the link road.