SHC orders removal of illegal transport stops from Hyderabad

HYDERABAD, May 16 (APP): The Sindh High Court Hyderabad Circuit Bench has ordered removal of all unlawful parking stands of the public transport vehicles including taxi cars, vans and buses from the city.

The order was given by a bench comprising justice Riazat Ali Sahar and justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry, in a petition filed by advocate Ghulam Sarwar Qureshi in person.

The bench directed DIG Hyderabad, SSP Hyderabad and SP traffic to fully cooperate with the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) in its action against the stops while the latter was asked to submit monthly progress reports in the court.

The judges pointed out that the same court had in its previous orders dated November 14, 2016, January 13, 2023, and November 26, 2024, had called for removal of the illegal stands, observing that lack of enforcement was evident.

During the hearings the Secretary RTA Saleem Memon admitted before the court that all the permits for the public transport stands were cancelled in the light of the SHC’s multiple orders given since 2016.

He, however, complained that the RTA could not receive the desired support from the district and the traffic police when they took action against such transporters.

A DSP of the traffic police, on his parte, argued that transport stands were the jurisdiction of the RTA and not the traffic police.

The SSP Hyderabad’s lawyer also contended that the RTA and the traffic police were responsible.

The petitioner, however, had pleaded before the court to remove a particular van stand in Latifabad because it was causing public inconvenience, traffic congestion and security issues for the town’s residents.

He informed the court that the respondent transporter was granted a permit on October 27, 2022, to operate a booking office for Fahad Transport Services.

He added that the transporter in alleged violation of the permit had been picking up passengers and parking their vehicles on the given spot.

The SHC disposed of the petition while directing the local authorities to remove all unlawful transport stands from the city limits.