KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday announced a one-month deadline to Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar for getting the city’s rain drain pipes clean and running.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) while heading a bench hearing a case pertaining to provision of clean water at SC’s Karachi Registry, remarked that the water commission’s performance was satisfactory.
Earlier, Advocate Shahab Avastu had filed a petition demanding extension of the Water Commission’s President Amir Bani Muslim’s term. Avastu in the petition said that Water Commission’s 33 water treatment plants will be completed and fully functional by June 16 and that a total of 915 schemes would be completed by June 2019.
Thus the President’s tenure should be extended so that the projects can be completed under his supervision.
In response, CJP Nisar remarked that he could extend Muslim’s tenure only till the time of his own retirement.
Later during the hearing, SC approved the petition, granting an extension to Muslim’s tenure till January 2019.
CJP during the hearing questioned from the Sindh chief secretary regarding the tour of the city, to which he replied that only Mayor Karachi could add to the knowledge of the court about the city’s cleanliness.
Mayor Waseem Akhtar informed the court that the cleanliness efforts and work had improved. He added that as far as the rain drains were concerned, work for their cleanliness was underway.
Upon this, CJP remarked that monsoon season was about to start thus the drain pipes should be functional.
Mayor Karachi requested the court to grant some time, to which CJP granted a one-month deadline for the cleaning of metropolis’s rain drains. CJP added that if the Mayor failed to perform within the granted time, stern action will be taken against him.