A legal dispute over delays in Karachi’s Red Line Bus Rapid Transit project has reached the Sindh High Court (SHC) after a contractor challenged the sealing of its office and project site on University Road.
The case was heard by a two-member constitutional bench headed by Justice Saleem Jessar.
The court appointed a bailiff to inspect the site, prepare a detailed inventory of machinery present, and submit a report.
The contractor’s lawyer, Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, argued that the Red Line Lot 2 contract was awarded to a Pakistani-Chinese joint venture.
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He stated that TransKarachi provided the project design after a delay of two and a half years, while the site was handed over after 30 months.
He further claimed that a dispute resolution board had already held the Sindh government responsible for project delays and awarded Rs 3.7 billion in additional costs and delay-related compensation to the contractor.
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According to the petition, local authorities including the Mukhtiarkar, police, and Deputy Commissioner sealed the office and site without legal authority, while machinery worth over Rs 1 billion remains inside the premises.
The lawyer requested the court to immediately de-seal the office and site, calling the action unlawful.
The court ordered the bailiff to visit the site and submit a report along with a list of machinery. It also fixed a fee of Rs 200,000 for the bailiff, to be paid by the petitioner.
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However, the court rejected the immediate oral request to de-seal the site and issued notices to TransKarachi, the government of Sindh, Mukhtiarkar, police, and the Deputy Commissioner East.
Meanwhile, the further hearing was adjourned until April 29.
The Red Line Bus Rapid Transit project is one of Karachi’s major public transport initiatives aimed at improving urban mobility.
However, it has faced repeated delays, cost escalations, and administrative disputes between contractors and government departments.
