Part of GPO building maybe acquired for Orange Line

Supreme Court assured its Registry’s land won’t be acquired for the train route

LAHORE: A part of GPO building might be used for the Orange Line Metro Train project as the provincial authorities have informed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Anwar Zaheer Jamali that they would not use Supreme Court (SC) Registry’s land for the purpose. The SC Lahore Registry’s building is located across the across from the GPO.

The authorities had earlier planned to acquire a six-foot strip of the SC building for the project. The CJP had summoned Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal, Commissioner Abdullah Sumbal and Lahore Development Authority Director General Ahad Cheema for a meeting on Saturday. The meeting reviewed impact of the train’s route on the Registry’s building. The officers assured the CJP that the SC building’s land would not be used for the project.

The chief secretary informed the meeting, presided over by CJP Jamali and Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, that efforts would be made to make sure that litigants and lawyers did not face problems during the construction work.

The judges were informed that the government had withdrawn the earlier decision to acquire a six-foot strip along Nabha Road. They were informed that a portion of the GPO building would be acquired, if the need arose.

Sugar Mills

Lahore High Court (LHC) stayed last week the re-location of four sugar mills owned by some relatives of the chief minister in various districts.

Justice Ayesh A Malik ordered that Ittefaq Sugar Mills, Sahiwal, Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills, Nankana Sahib, Abdullah (Yousaf) Sugar Mills, Sargodha, and Abdullah Sugar Mills, Dipalpur, not be shifted.

The judge suspended two notifications issued by the industries secretary in this regard. She ordered that the status quo be maintained with regard to relocation of the mills.

The judge also sought replies from federal and provincial governments until January 25.

The petition had been moved on behalf of M/S JDW Sugar Mills and a shareholder Maqsood Ahmad Malhi.

Aitezaz Ahsan, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the industries secretary had issued the notifications on December 4, 2015, with a mala fide intention.

He said that Under Section 3 of the Punjab Industries (Control on Establishment and Enlargement) Ordinance, several notifications had been issued against the establishment of new sugar mills in the province. He said the ban had been imposed in the national interest… the mills should therefore not be ordered to relocate.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2016.