Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah appeared before Supreme Court on Monday in a case regarding rehabilitation of affectees of Gujjar Nullah.
During the hearing of the case, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed said that residents of Karachi have no access to clean drinking water and no roads have been constructed since independence of Pakistan.
On this CM Sindh thanked the court for summoning him and said that as per directions of the apex court, the government gave 31 billion rupees to NDMA for cleaning of nullahs.
Responding to a remark by the court, the Chief Minister said that the province is facing shortage of human resource and Sindh has to talk to Centre for filling vacant seats.
Earlier while hearing the case, the apex court asked the concerned officials of what steps have been taken by the government for rehabilitation of the affectees.
Advocate General Sindh informed the court that CM has submitted a report as the government is facing some financial constraints.
The Supreme Court has summoned Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah immediately in the Orangi and Gujjar nullahs eviction cases to ask about why court orders were not taken seriously.
SC Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed is in Karachi this week and will be hearing several important cases regarding illegal and unauthorised constructions, encroachments on amenity plots, conversion of residential and amenity land into commercial spaces in the provincial metropolis.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed asked the Sindh attorney general for updates on compensation to be provided to over 6,000 affectees. The court asked what has been the progress so far and what the ground realities were.The attorney general, however, could not satisfy the court.
“Summon Sindh CM immediately, we will ask from him if they are trying to make fun of the court,” the chief justice said.
Murad Ali Shah reached the court at 12pm where a SAMAA reporter asked him why the court was not satisfied with his report. He answered he did not know.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court released a written order in the anti-encroachment case and ordered the authorities to compensate the people whose leased houses have been demolished in the drive along Orangi and Gujjar nullahs.
At a hearing on September 23, the top court came down on the Sindh government over delays in the compensation for the people who lost their homes through forced evictions at the Orangi and Gujjar nullahs. “Shame on you [Sindh government],” Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said.
The court instructed Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah to resettle the victims within a year and summoned a report on it, adding that resettling the affectees is the state’s responsibility and we have to find a way to do that.
Gujjar and Orangi nullahs are two of the three stormwater drains that are being widened to ensure a smooth flow of rainwater. Mehmoodabad is the other one.
