LHC to announce verdict on petitions against Orange Line Metro Train today

The division bench had reserved its verdict after both sides had concluded their arguments on July 13

LAHORE: Lahore High Court will announce on Friday (today) its verdict on petitions challenging the construction of Orange Line Metro Train Project around protected heritage sites in the city.

The division bench, headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, will announce the verdict at 10am. The court had reserved judgment on July 13, after counsel for both sides completed their arguments.

Advocate Azhar Siddique, on behalf of the petitioners, had argued that several historic buildings, including the Supreme Court Lahore Registry, General Post Office, Aiwan-i-Auqaf, Saint Andrews Church and Mauj Dariya shrine, would be affected because of the metro train project.

He had also objected that the allocation for the project was too large in relation to the provincial budget.

The World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO had expressed concern about the development proposal of the metro train, which will pass in front of the entrance of the Shalimar Gardens and above the remaining water tanks of the their hydraulic works.

In a statement uploaded on its website, the committee recommended that work around Shalimar Gardens be suspended.

The committee on its website also asked the government to submit to the World Heritage Centre technical details, including Heritage Impact Assessment for all proposed projects which may affect the outstanding universal value of heritage monuments, prior to their approval.

The committee urged the government to invite a World Heritage Centre reactive monitoring mission to discuss alternative solutions for the OLMT project and to review the management of the property.

The committee also asked the government to submit to the WHC by February 1, 2017, an updated report on the state of conservation of the monument for examination by the WHC at its 41st session.

The advisory board of the WHC said, “It is regrettable that despite repeated requests by the committee and the recommendations of past reactive monitoring missions, the state party has not yet formally established an enlarged buffer zone in order to adequately manage and effectively control encroachments and urban development at the property.”

“This is a crucial step, especially in light of the current development proposal for the OLMT.

The present arrangements lack formal recognition and can therefore be considered ineffective,” it said.

The advisory board said, “While the Antiquities Act 1975 restricts all constructions within a distance of 200 feet of a protected site, constructions on government land require special permission.

The proposed OLMT line lies within the 200-feet protective zone and has unfortunately been endorsed by the government of the Punjab and the Directorate General of Archaeology.”

It said that the ambiguity of control mechanisms and the lack of effective protection could be seen in the fact that the metro train would pass within 12 metres of the entrance of Shalimar Gardens.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2016.