SC gives a week to present papers in Bani Gala case

AAG says Punjab govt yet to provide papers to ascertain botanical garden’s parameters

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday granted a week’s time to the Punjab government to present relevant documents in a case regarding the illegal construction in Bani Gala Botanical Gardens and National Park.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the case of delimitation of Bani Gala Botanical Garden. The additional attorney general (AAG) requested for adjournment on non-provision of documents, on which hearing was adjourned for one week without proceeding.

During the hearing, AAG took a stand that some documents were not provided by the Punjab government, which were necessary to ascertain the parameters of the botanical park. He said that the hearing should be adjourned till the documents are received, on which the court directed the AAG Punjab to provide the relevant documents and adjourned the hearing of the case till next Friday.

Supreme Court in 2017 had banned illegal cutting of trees and encroachment of land in Bani Gala Botanical Gardens and National Park. The mushroom growth of housing was a threat to the protected area demarcated by the Geographical Survey of Pakistan (GSP) on 725 acres.

In 2019, government decided to construct around 2,700 cemented pillars, with distance of 15 fee, and two-foot high walls between the pillars, on which the grills would be fixed along a 14-kilometer (km) long boundary. GSP had placed grills on around two kilometres stretch however a nearby housing society created obstacles in its construction.

The other day, a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the case regarding unplanned and unregistered construction in Bani Gala Botanical Garden and National Park and grant of commercial lease by CDA.

The apex court expressed concern over delay in execution of previous orders in Bani Gala environmental pollution case and directed CDA, Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) to submit reports in the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2020.