The Sindh High Court (SHC), on Wednesday, directed the local government to close the food street on Burns Road in the evenings and reopen the main thoroughfare to vehicle traffic.
The court issued this judgment after hearing two petitions against the road closure because of the food street. The two-judge panel was led by Judge Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, who stated that people’s basic rights could not be jeopardized because of a food street.
The bench overturned a notification given by the South District Administration allowing for the establishment of the food street. The court ordered that Burns Road and its associated streets be reopened within two days. The bench further directed that any encroachments on roads and walkways be removed.
The SHC previously expressed its dissatisfaction with the daily closure of the road in the evenings to allow food enterprises to operate on the street. Because of the traffic interruptions and discomfort caused by the closure, the court asked the authorities under what rule the route was blocked to traffic.
Several neighborhood residents petitioned the SHC in February 2021, claiming that the district government’s decision to close the road between 7:00 pm and 2:00 am in the guise of a food street had caused them major inconvenience.
The redirection of vehicles to limited lanes on Burns Road was inconvenient and restricted their freedom of movement. Residents alleged that an elderly woman died as a result of the nighttime travel restrictions since she could not receive emergency medical care.
The petitioners asked the district administration to revoke the notice that restricted the roads so that residents and others may use them without being denied admission.