Canal Project: SHC issues notices to two federal secretaries

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to two federal secretaries over issuing certificate allowing construction of canals from the river.

The high court has summoned the secretaries in person on May 07.

The Sindh High Court hearing a petition filed by Senator Zameer Ghumro, challenging construction of new canals on the Indus River system.

According to the petition, the Sindh High Court had directed the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) on May 12, 2017, to issue the member from Sindh. “The decision was being implemented until 2011 and after appointments made from other provinces”, petition read.

“On January 24, the water availability certificate was issued for construction of Thall Canal phase II and Cholistan Canal.” “Federal Secretary Water Ali Murtaza and Secretary Establishment Inaamullah Dharejo committed contempt of the court,” Barrister Zameer Ghumro said.

Petitioner also called the constitution of the Council of Common Interest in the caretaker government’s tenure as unlawful.

“An illegal constitution of the IRSA inflicted extreme damage to Sindh,” according to petition.

“It has directly hit Karachi, Sujawal, Badin and Thatta districts of Sindh. The Indus River Delta has badly affected, and the agriculture has suffered huge loss,” petition read.

The high court had issued notices to the federal government and the Attorney General in a previous hearing and summoned reply of the notice by April 07.

Senator Zameer Ghumro told the court that constitution of the IRSA has been unconstitutional and unlawful thus its decisions have no consequence.

Despite Sindh’s strong opposition, the Irsa greenlighted water supply to the Cholistan Canal System project and issued a water availability certificate to the Punjab government for the project.

The approval allowed Punjab to construct the Cholistan Canal branching from the Sutlej River at Sulemanki Headworks, providing access to 450,000 acre-feet of water.

The authority’s Sindh member penned a note of dissent expressing disagreement over the approval.

Almost all political and religious parties, nationalist groups and civil society organisations have staged widespread rallies across Sindh against the controversial canal project.