‘Stay on OLMT construction violated at 5 sites’

LHC commission submits report on stay order violations

LAHORE: A commission formed by Lahore High Court has reported violations of a stay order at five heritage sites where construction of the Orange Line Metro Train project was halted.

The commission, comprising Supreme Court Bar Association secretary Asad Manzoor Butt and High Court Bar Association’s former secretary Muhammad Ahmad Qayyum, submitted its report on the implementation of a division bench order barring work up to 200-feet radius from 11 heritage sites.



The protected under the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance, 1985 and Antiquity Act, 1975 include Shalimar Gardens, Gulabi Bagh Gateway, Buddhu ka Awa, Chauburji, Zebunnisa’s Tomb, Lakhshmi Building, General Post Office, Aiwan-i-Auqaf, the Supreme Court Lahore Registry, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church at Nabha Road and Baba Mauj Darya Bukhari Shrine.

The report states that the stay order was being violated at Shalimar Gardens, Baba Darya Bukhari Shrine, Zaibunnisa’s tomb, Lakhshmi Building and Chauburji. The bench, comprising Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh and Justice Shahid Karim, made the commission’s report part of the case record and adjourned hearing till June 23.  The bench also directed the government to submit a report regarding deaths caused by the execution of the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2016.