Hoteliers have sought court’s help for the completion of a stalled water supply project in Murree.
In a petition, filed with the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench on Thursday, the Murree Hotels Association, prayed for the court to direct the Punjab government to complete the Murree bulk water supply project for ensuring adequate supply to the tourist hill station in summer.
Justice Ali Baqir Najafi issued notices to the Punjab chief secretary, finance secretary and the project director and clubbed the petition with two other identical petitions already pending.
The court will take up the three petitions on Friday. The Punjab government in its response to the earlier two petitions had maintained that the project could not be completed owing to its escalating cost over the years.
The association’s president, Raja Khalil Ahmed, maintained that the project should not be shelved as the demand for water in Murree was increasing. In summers, a peak season for tourists, acute water shortage hits Murree, affecting the hotel business besides making life difficult for the residents.
Earlier, petitions filed by former Murree Nazim Sardar Saleem Khan and other residents had also requested the court to direct the provincial authorities to start work on the project as Rs2 billion had already been spent on it.
The project envisaging supply of water to Murree from Jhelum River has been stalled owing to political rivalry, according to the petitioners.
The Punjab government had cited the exorbitant cost of the project and questions over its sustainability as reasons for discontinuing the project.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ