Punjab Assembly: CM criticised for absence from Orange Line debate

Treasury member claims only 300 families affected by construction work

LAHORE:

“The chief minister should come to the House and address opposition’s concerns over the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project. He has been elected by this House to run the government, not the bureaucracy,” Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Arif Abbassi said before walking out of the House to protest Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal’s insistence that he cut short his speech.

Earlier, debate on the OLMT project continued from Thursday. Most lawmakers from Treasury and Opposition benches reiterated party positions on the Rs165 billion mass transit train project.Despite a low turnout on the Opposition benches, seven members took to the floor to express their concerns.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member Faiza Malik alleged that the government had diverted funds from 611 public welfare schemes to the OLMT project. She said funds allocated for schemes in southern districts had also been diverted to the metro train project.

Malik said she had learnt that special allowances were being extended to 27 officers working on the project. Her comment on Lahore Development Authority Director General Ahad Cheema’s promotion drew a response from Treasury member Waheed Gul. Gul dismissed her claim that Cheema’s promotion was in return for his loyalty to the provincial government. He said there was no reason why the government should not promote an officer whose performance was satisfactory. “He [Cheema] has not been involved in corruption,” he said. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid lawmaker Khadija Umar’s comment that the provincial government was seeking credit for a project it had earlier disowned was received with applause from the opposition benches. She said that in a letter to the Asian Development Bank the provincial government had stated that mass transit projects was not a priority for it.  She said the metro train project had been initiated by the PML-Q government in the province.

Other issues raised by opposition benches were acquisition of church property located along the OLMT route and need to make public funding details of the project.

PTI’s Shanila Ruth demanded that the government ensure protection of Christian worship places located along the route. “The government’s failure to identify these [Christian] worship places as heritage sites is a matter of concern,” she said.

Ruth said the government intended to acquire two kanals land from the Lahore Cathedral. She said the Cathedral had had been built around 150 years ago. She said the move would hurt Christian community’s feelings.

PTI’s Raheela Anwar demanded that funding details for the project be made public.

PML- Zia’s Ghulam Murtaza was the only Opposition member to express conditional support for the project. He said the government’s intention in starting the project was worthy of support.

Muratza expressed reservations about the funding mechanism for the project. He suggested that the number of parking lots along the train track be increased to facilitate a higher number of commuters.

Defending the project, Treasury member Majid Zahoor said that only 300 families had been affected by the construction work.

Treasury member Mian Muhammad Rafique stressed the need for fixing economic concerns of people from southern districts of the province. He said the government should address the grievances of the farming community.

As Law Minister Rana Sanaullah took to the floor to deliver a speech to conclude the session, Opposition members started walking out of the House. PTI’s Saadia Sohail pointed out a lack of quorum on her way out of the House but the chair did not stop Sanaullah’s speech.

Later, the session was adjourned till Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2016.