Zulfikarabad oil terminal to open on July 27, officials tells SC

KARACHI: The Zulfikarabad oil terminal will be inaugurated on July 27, the home department and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) informed the Supreme Court's Karachi Registry on Thursday.

Appearing before a two-member bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, the home secretary along with acting KMC Commissioner Asghar Abbas submitted a report over the matter.

The home secretary said that the new terminal will be inaugurated on July 27.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Shagufta Bibi, a resident of Clifton’s Block-I, who requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan to order shifting of the oil tankers’ terminal from her locality.

The petitioner remarked that heavy-duty oil tankers were parked on two sides of the main road in Clifton Block-1 and nearby areas.The woman had earlier written to the CJP, and her letter was later converted into a constitutional petition.

The court ordered that all the oil tankers in Karachi should immediately be transferred to Zulfikarabad oil terminal and a report should be submitted on July 28.

On July 7, the court had directed the KMC to make the Zulfikarabad oil terminal operational within a week and shift all the oil tankers from Karachi’s Shireen Jinnah Colony and other adjacent areas to the designated terminal.

In the report submitted to the court, it was pointed out that the electricity supply to the terminal was disconnected because of theft of electrical equipment at the terminal, while a portion of the terminal was damaged because of the recent downpour.