Says residents are facing severe hardships due to the deteriorating condition of University Road
Frontier Works Organization restarts work on University Road. PHOTO: MURTAZA WAHAB/X
KARACHI:
After years of traffic chaos, broken roads and daily commuter misery on Karachi’s busiest corridor, the Sindh High Court on Thursday ordered the government to make University Road fully operational within two months, while declaring the sealing of machinery belonging to the BRT Red Line Lot 2 contractor illegal.
A two-judge Constitutional Court announced the verdict in a petition to seal the contractor’s office and machinery connected to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project.
In its ruling, the court observed that the residents were facing severe hardships due to the deteriorating condition of University Road and directed the Sindh government to ensure uninterrupted movement of both public and private transport on the route.
The bench stated that the provincial government could allocate or redistribute additional funds to complete the work within the stipulated time frame. However, it made it clear that the construction activity for the BRT project must under no circumstances disturb the flow of traffic on Universitetsvejen.
The court further noted that the BRT Red Line project was expected to become operational by October 2027.
Pursuant to the written order, TransKarachi may retain the machines in accordance with the contract if TransKarachi deems the machines necessary under clauses 17, 18 and 19 of the agreement. However, the case must be brought before the Disputes Board.
Read more: Part of the BRT Red Line project given to FWO
The court ordered that if the board fails to make a decision within 30 days, the machinery must be returned. It also noted that disputes related to the BRT Red Line agreement would be resolved through arbitration and the dispute resolution mechanism.
The written judgment further stated that the Sindh Advocate General informed the court that out of the project cost of Rs.16 billion, Rs15 billion had already been paid. It was also submitted that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had repossessed the Aladdin Park land after the lease expired.
The court ruled that the petitioner was free to seek remedies under the contract regarding termination of the agreement. Copies of the judgment were sent to the Sindh Chief Secretary and Local Government Secretary for implementation while the contractor’s petition was heard.
