The Lahore High Court on Monday sought report from the chief secretary Punjab within a fortnight in a petition seeking judicial inquiry into the incident of boat overturning at Nankana. The petitioner, Yousaf Javed advocate, submitted that more than 100 people including children and women drowned in river Ravi as the boat capsized in the river few days back. He submitted that similar incidents took place on this spot because of unavailability of a bridge to connect Sheikhupura/Nankana with Okara. He said a bridge was started in 1998 but so far it could not be completed.
He said in 2006 the then defence minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal had claimed that the Prime Minister had approved Rs 310 million more funds for the Syed Wala Bridge but no work was carried out in this regard.
He said repeated grants are allocated for the construction of bridge which could not be completed in 18 years. He said Metro Bridge in Lahore was completed in few months but out of Lahore such bridges could not be completed even during 18 years which shows discrimination on the part of the rulers. He said the boat incident took place only because of failure of the government and their discriminatory attitude. He therefore prayed the court to bring the responsible to the book.