Doongi ground: LHC defers hearing till October 14

Gulberg resident says parking plaza construction is illegal.

LAHORE:

Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the Lahore High Court has deferred till October 14 the hearing of a petition against the government’s construction of a parking plaza at the Doongi Ground in Gulberg in violation of court orders.

The petitioner, Gulberg resident Faran Rafique Khan, has challenged the construction on the grounds that the ground was a designated park and could not be converted to commercial use. It also went against an earlier court order in this regard, he said.

A full LHC bench, on September 16, 2011, had declared plans to build an IMAX cinema and allied facilities at the ground to be illegal. Despite the order, the government started building a parking plaza at the site. On October 4, 2012, the petitioner sent the respondents a legal notice warning them that the construction was in violation of the LHC judgment.

The petitioner said that the respondent paid no heed and a contempt petition was filed. It remains pending before Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh. The petitioner said that while the petition remained pending, the respondent speeded up the construction work. Before starting the work, the government had not consulted with or obtained permission from nearby residents, not conducted a feasibility report, nor obtained approval from the Environmental Protection Department.

The petitioner submitted that the LHC had, on June 20, 2011, ruled that the conversion of the park to any other use was a violation of the Disposal of Land by Development Authorities Act of 1988.

He said that the people of the area should be allowed to use the ground to play sports. He asked the court to take action against those who ordered the construction at the Doongi Ground.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2013.