QUETTA, March 13: The Balochistan High Court has ordered a deputy director of the National Highway Authority to explain why encroachments have not been removed from the Airport Road.

Hearing a petition filed by Talat Waheed Khan against the provincial government, a bench comprising Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Qadir Mengal said on Tuesday that action on charges of contempt of court would be initiated against the official if he did not submit a written explanation.

The petitioner pointed out that the NHA had not removed encroachments from the road and police had failed to implement the court's orders to ensure that vehicles had proper number plates.

The court asked the Quetta police chief and traffic SSP to submit a report and regularly visit the civil and provincial assembly secretariats to ensure that its orders and the Motor Vehicle Ordinance were not violated.

"Needless to state that if legislators flout the law they would be denuded of moral authority to insist that the general public abide by it," the bench said.

The court said the petitioner had also submitted that hundreds of shops had been found selling uncovered meat in violation of the municipal law and it appeared that the metropolitan corporation was doing nothing about this transgression because no challan had been presented or effective steps taken against the illegal practice that was also a public health hazard.

The hearing was adjourned till April 4.