Widening of Lahore’s Canal Road : SC gives planners, opponents more time to settle ma

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

* CJP laments apathetic attitude towards preservation of national heritage
* Hearing adjourned until February 11

By Masood Rehman

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday gave more time to planners of a proposed project to widen Lahore’s Canal Road and those opposed to the project for an alternative plan to settle the matter, and adjourned the hearing until February 11.

Heading a three-member bench hearing a suo motu notice against the proposed plan to fell trees for the project in Lahore, the chief justice lamented the apathetic attitude towards the preservation of national heritage, and said, “The beauty of Lahore lies in its heritage ... we must preserve it.”

The SC had suggested on December 21 that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and two NGOs related to the case – the Concerned Citizens of Pakistan (CCP) and the Lahore Bachao Tehreek (LBT) – hold discussions and reach a viable solution.

“We are suggesting that you interact with each other by exchanging material and benefit from experiences of the outside world,” said the chief justice, adding that if the parties involved could not settle the matter on their own, the court would decided the case on merit.

LDA representative claimed the project would not affect Lahore’s environment, as trees along the canal would be shifted to other places and new ones would also be planted.

The Punjab government is pursuing the project to improve the flow of traffic in the provincial capital.

According to the plan, the road would be widened from Thokar Niaz Baig to the Dharampura underpass at a cost of Rs 3.15 billion, but civil society representatives claim the cost would exceed Rs 9 billion.