Sindh govt destroyed Sukkur, turtles, dolphins becoming extinct: SC

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) came down hard on the Sindh government Friday, saying they had destroyed Sukkur and even failed to protect endangered wildlife near the River Indus.

“Turtles and dolphins are becoming extinct. Who is responsible for this?” asked Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed. At a hearing at the apex court’s Karachi registry, the judge remarked that thousands of turtles in Sukkur cross the roads heading towards channels and tributaries of the River Indus. “Most of those are run over by cars because there’s no one to look after them,” the CJ regretted. “The Indus River dolphins, too, are becoming extinct. What are these people [the government] doing?”

“We have seen the situation of Sukkur. The city has been reduced to a garbage dump,” the court pointed out. Consequently, Justice Gulzar instructed the Sindh Wildlife Department, the district administration of Sukkur, the Irrigation Department, and Sindh government to provide a safe route to turtles and summoned a report at the next hearing.

Meanwhile, Advocate Rafiq Kalhoro told the court that the management of Sukkur’s Lab-e-Mehran Park had been handed over to the Sindh Irrigation Department by the Sindh High Court.

“The decision should be revoked and the management should be given to the Sukkur Municipality,” he requested. Justice Gulzar replied that the administration had no right to claim ownership of the park. “If the government has taken it, let them do the work.”

The Lab-e-Mehran Park is located on the right bank of the River Indus, adjacent to the Sukkur Barrage. Earlier this year, the court passed orders to revive and restore the park.