ISLAMABAD, AUGUST 8: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has mandated that the National Highway Authority (NHA) furnish thorough particulars of all properties falling under the purview of the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway.
According to specifics, a two-judge bench made up of Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito gave the directive on Wednesday. Additionally, the court ordered the NHA to ascertain whether any leases for gas stations, lodging facilities, or other operations along the motorway have been approved.
In addition, a declaration outlining the charges and total fees generated from exit and entry points of various properties on the motorway during the last financial year was required of the private firm SCORE, which has been managing the project since 2015 on a build-operate-transfer basis.
The majority of the 70 petitions that the bench was considering were over land issues near the road and were filed between 2017 and 2021. Among these petitions is a 2017 NHA complaint contending that the Sindh government’s reduction of the Right of Way (ROW) limit and nullification of mutation entries were unlawful and uncompensated.
Numerous people have also come before the court to assert their claim to the contested territory. Some petitioners argue that the ROW does not apply to their land and that they are in compliance with temporary legislation, whereas the NHA claims ownership of the ROW and mutations based on Sections 10 to 15 of the NHA Act of 1991.
The court directed the NHA to provide comprehensive property data inside the boundaries of the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway and to indicate whether any leases had been given to gas stations, hotels, or other businesses. In addition, the NHA was ordered to provide statements about the new motorway plans, which include information about the facilities and road conditions, from Jamshoro to Karachi, Multan to Sukkur Road, and Islamabad to Peshawar.A statement outlining the levies and total fees collected from July 2023 to June 2024 in relation to the exit and entry points of various properties along the motorway was also requested to be filed by the SCORE director. August 28 was set as the new date for the hearing.
