‘What’s up with the substandard food, unlawfully-tall buildings?’

A two-member bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to ensure that the imported food items must not be sub-standard and expired.
The bench comprising Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and Justice Main Saqib Nisar passed the order while disposing of a suo motu notice on import of sub-standard and expired items at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry. Earlier, the counsel, Azhar Siddique submitted before the court that expired and sub-standard food items including juices, cigarettes and others were being imported in Pakistan.
He submitted that the said items were sent to Pakistan when their shelf life was near expiry in raw shape to save taxes and duties. He submitted that there was no system to check such items in the country.
He submitted the SC on October 9, 2009 sought reports from FBR and FIA in this regard. The bench after reviewing the reports submitted by FBR and FIA directed a deputy attorney general to ask the FBR to ensure that the imported food items must not be sub-standard and expired. In another development, a two member bench of Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry ordered owners of tall buildings and plazas to file the details of their land’s cost, building’s total area, covered space, and parking area and front road in the court.
The bench was hearing of review petition filed by owners of plaza against LHC judgment against high buildings constructed in violation of rules and encroachment of public land.
During hearing Justice Saqib Nisar observed “no one has the right to encroach upon public land, roads and footpaths. The roads will remain roads and the parks will remain parks for larger benefit of the public. The court will not do injustice to any party and give its judgment in the case after hearing version all the stakeholders in the matter”.
Justice Nisar inquired of LDA DG, who was present before the court, “Why do you give an NOC to every person to convert residential property into commercial despite knowing that it is dangerous for the city? It is violation of Article 23 of the constitution that a citizen buys property in residential areas and you, the LDA, give permission to use it for commercial purpose against a small fee,” the judge said posing another question. The DG said commercialisation policy had been frozen and no one was allowed to convert a residential property into commercial. He said out of 52 thoroughfares of Lahore city, commercialisation was going on 48 roads under the rules of the old policy. He said he had suspended one assistant director and two deputy directors for the misuse of the policy. “Were you sleeping when Labour Department opened its office in Garden Town?” the judge asked, adding that no action was being taken against the rich and the poor were being made to suffer. Advocate Siddique said LDA and Housing and Physical Planning Department had made new rules for commercialisation buildings which he had challenged in the LHC, at which the court said the rules be presented in the next hearing .