Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a contempt of court notice to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah in a Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) revival case.
An apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard the case. The top SC judge took strong exception to the Sindh government’s failure to approve a design for building underpasses and flyovers along the KCR track.
At the outset of the hearing, the chief justice asked why construction work has not yet started, to which the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) director general replied that a design thereof handed to the Sindh government is awaiting its approval.
“Is there any design for modern KCR?” asked the chief justice. The railway secretary said the process of hiring a consultant for the purpose completed the previous day. Remarking that the secretary is not providing correct information to the court, the bench issued him another notice to submit a written reply explaining his position. The court directed the Sindh government and the chief minister to submit their replies by the next hearing. The SC adjourned the case for two weeks.
On November 10, the SC had issued contempt notices to the Pakistan Railways and the Sindh government over failure to implement its order regarding the Karachi Circular Railway. The court expressed displeasure over the non-implementation of its order and observed that the authorities didn’t implement its order in letter and spirit.
