KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the NED University of Engineering and Technology to file its report about evaluation of drainage infrastructure in Cantonment Board Clifton and Defence Housing Authority.

The court has already issued directive to the CBC, DHA and the petitioners to provide requisite information and documents to the vice chancellor of NED University.

Dozens of residents of Clifton and DHA had approached the SHC in 2020 against the sewerage infrastructure that caused flooding during the torrential rains.

In November, the SHC had directed the NED University to conduct the evaluation of the drainage infrastructure in the jurisdictions of CBC and DHA and file report within one month.

When a two-judge bench headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi took up the matter for hearing on Wednesday, the lawyer for CBC submitted that compliance had been made by the CBC and DHA in the light of last order to provide requisite data and information to the VC of NED University.

However, the bench was informed that the report of the university was still awaited.

“Let report from the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi to be submitted to this court,” the bench in its order said.

The matter was adjourned for a date to be fixed in the first week of June.

In February, the counsel for petitioners had placed a copy of letter before the bench issued by NED University VC Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodi asking them to provide relevant data of existing network, topographic sheets, alignment details and other record as well as to designate a focal person.

The letter further said that the DHA had already hired a consultancy firm for the same purpose and best and quickest way to overcome the problem was to allow NED University to vet the design/retrofit submitted by the consultancy firm hired by the DHA.

Thereafter, the bench had directed the lawyers for petitioners, CBC and DHA to provide the information and documents in terms of the letter of vice chancellor.

It had also asked the NED University to also give an opinion for the resolution of the problem and to complete the exercise within 45 days.

Initially, around 60 residents had filed a petition before the SHC and sought formation of a committee to supervise sanitation projects and conducting a forensic audit of the CBC and DHA accounts after the auditor general’s report found irregularities. Later, another identical petition was also filed.

Thereafter, the counsel for petitioners moved an application requesting the bench to appoint a qualified sanitation engineer to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of drainage system of the CBC and DHA.

The petitioners had argued that the authorities concerned had completely failed to handle the situation during and after the torrential rains and perform their statutory duties.

They submitted that the CBC had issued a tender notice for de-silting of drains in April last year, but it rejected the lowest bid without citing any reason for the cancellation and issued another tender for Sept 15, 2020 i.e. after the end of the monsoon season.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022