Tuesday, August 12, 2008
By Sajid Bashir
LAHORE: The rain pour on Monday again turned the Lahore district and sessions courtís building into a pool of dirty water, despite the civic authorities assurance to the Lahore High Court several times in the recent past that proper measures would be taken to prevent the rain water from entering the premises of the courts.
The Punjab government through the chief secretary and the secretary C&W, and the civic authorities represented by the MD Wasa had assured the LHC the previous month while appearing in a suo moto notice, giving an undertaking that all necessary steps would be taken to prevent rain water from gathering inside the court premises in future. They pleaded the court to dismiss the suo moto notice in view of that undertaking.
The LHC CJ had taken suo moto notice following a flood-like situation was created inside the courts when rain water prevented the judicial officers and the public from even entering the court’s boundaries.
A survey, conducted by The News after a short spell of rain on Monday, showed that the staff deployed for the cleanliness failed to clear the rain water from the district and sessions court building after the rain. All the major parts of the courts were drowned in the water.
The only road at the court premises was showing the sight of a lake and all the drains were blocked due to the debris deposited there. The rain water was also entered the premises of the court rooms and balconies of the district and sessions court.
People presents at the sessions courts premises said the rain water had turned the court building into a lake, adding in such circumstances how they could manage their jobs. The make-shift chambers of lawyers were also drowned in the water and they had to go back home because the stagnant water of the rain had ruined their work. First, there was no proper sitting place inside the courts building for the visitors. Secondly, the visitors could not even stand due to the stagnant rain water.
A large number of lawyers complained that every time it rained their work routine was badly affected as the stagnant rain water blocked all the paths inside the district courts. They said how they could reach the court rooms in the presence of dirty stagnant water in the area of court building. The rain water also spoilt the furniture present in the make-shift chambers of lawyers.
Majority of the typists who did their job under the open sky or beside the make-shift chambers of the lawyers were also inconvenienced due to the stagnant rain water. Raheem Baba, an old typist, said he had been doing the job for the last 40 years, adding that was the only source of income. But after the rain he has no place to sit in and do his work. He said the problem might be resolved after the completion of the new judicial complex.
Ch Akram, a lawyer, said he had been coming to the sessions court building from the last 20 years and he had seen the court building in miserable condition after every rain. He said if the building department used the funds in a proper way, the problem could be solved.
The visitors who had parked their vehicles inside the courts building before the rain, were really in trouble as they could not approach their vehicles due to the stagnant rain water in the parking area.
When contacted, the building department supervisor said the land of the court building was low-lying. He further said the main sewer drain was a mile away from the courts building and the staff had to use water-pumps to drain the rain water from the court premises. He said building department staff had already made measurements to stop the rain water to enter the court premises. He said after the completion of the new judicial complex, all the problems would be solved.
The Punjab government through the chief secretary and the secretary C&W, and the civic authorities represented by the MD Wasa had assured the LHC the previous month while appearing in a suo moto notice, giving an undertaking that all necessary steps would be taken to prevent rain water from gathering inside the court premises in future. They pleaded the court to dismiss the suo moto notice in view of that undertaking.
The LHC CJ had taken suo moto notice following a flood-like situation was created inside the courts when rain water prevented the judicial officers and the public from even entering the court’s boundaries.
A survey, conducted by The News after a short spell of rain on Monday, showed that the staff deployed for the cleanliness failed to clear the rain water from the district and sessions court building after the rain. All the major parts of the courts were drowned in the water.
The only road at the court premises was showing the sight of a lake and all the drains were blocked due to the debris deposited there. The rain water was also entered the premises of the court rooms and balconies of the district and sessions court.
People presents at the sessions courts premises said the rain water had turned the court building into a lake, adding in such circumstances how they could manage their jobs. The make-shift chambers of lawyers were also drowned in the water and they had to go back home because the stagnant water of the rain had ruined their work. First, there was no proper sitting place inside the courts building for the visitors. Secondly, the visitors could not even stand due to the stagnant rain water.
A large number of lawyers complained that every time it rained their work routine was badly affected as the stagnant rain water blocked all the paths inside the district courts. They said how they could reach the court rooms in the presence of dirty stagnant water in the area of court building. The rain water also spoilt the furniture present in the make-shift chambers of lawyers.
Majority of the typists who did their job under the open sky or beside the make-shift chambers of the lawyers were also inconvenienced due to the stagnant rain water. Raheem Baba, an old typist, said he had been doing the job for the last 40 years, adding that was the only source of income. But after the rain he has no place to sit in and do his work. He said the problem might be resolved after the completion of the new judicial complex.
Ch Akram, a lawyer, said he had been coming to the sessions court building from the last 20 years and he had seen the court building in miserable condition after every rain. He said if the building department used the funds in a proper way, the problem could be solved.
The visitors who had parked their vehicles inside the courts building before the rain, were really in trouble as they could not approach their vehicles due to the stagnant rain water in the parking area.
When contacted, the building department supervisor said the land of the court building was low-lying. He further said the main sewer drain was a mile away from the courts building and the staff had to use water-pumps to drain the rain water from the court premises. He said building department staff had already made measurements to stop the rain water to enter the court premises. He said after the completion of the new judicial complex, all the problems would be solved.
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