LHC stops metro train construction near 11 historic sites

Court declares govt's NoC null and void

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday announced its verdict on petitions against the Orange Line Metro Train project, upholding an earlier decision stopping construction within 200 feet of 11 heritage sites, Express News reported

The division bench, headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, also declared the government's NoC null and void. The court had reserved judgment on July 13 after counsels for both sides had completed their arguments.



Advocate Azhar Siddique, the counsel for the petitioners, had argued that several historic buildings including the Supreme Court Lahore Registry, the General Post Office, the Aiwan-i-Auqaf, Saint Andrews Church and Mauj Dariya shrine would be affected by the metro train project. He had also objected to the disproportionate allocation for the project in relation to the provincial budget.

The World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO had expressed concern about the development proposal of the metro train, set to pass in front of the Shalimar Gardens and above the remaining water tanks of their hydraulic works. In a statement uploaded on its website, the committee recommended  work around the site to be suspended. The committee also asked the government to submit to the World Heritage Centre technical details including heritage impact assessment for all proposed projects that 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 committee at its 41st session.

“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,” the WHC's advisory board said.

“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 construction within a distance of 200 feet from a protected site, construction on government land requires 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 a distance of 12 metres from the entrance of Shalimar Gardens.