Doongi Ground: LHC directs government to submit reply

Reply is on contempt of court petition for constructing parking plaza at Doongi Ground in violation of LHC orders.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Thursday directed the provincial government to submit a reply on a contempt of court petition for constructing a parking plaza at Doongi Ground in Gulberg in violation of the Lahore High Court orders.

Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh passed the orders on a petition moved by Faran Rafique Khan, a resident of Gulberg.

The petitioner’s counsel told the court on Thursday that the Punjab government had not submitted a reply despite several court orders to do so.

He said the provincial government was delaying the matter.

The petitioner’s counsel requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the Lahore division commissioner, District Coordination Officer Ahmed Javed Qazi,the Lahore Development Authority chairman and the officers concerned for disobeying orders of the Lahore High Court.

The judge put off the hearing for two weeks and directed the respondents to submit a reply.

The petitioner had earlier submitted that all developmental and construction work at Doongi Ground, Gulberg, had been carried out illegally.

He said a Lahore High Court full bench had declared on September 16, 2011 that the conversion of Doongi Ground into IMAX Theater and other allied facilities illegal.

He said the provincial government and its departments had not complied with the directions of the full bench.

The petitioner said that a contempt of court petition was pending before the court.

He said during the pendency of the contempt petition, the respondents had sped up the construction of parking plaza at the site.

The petitioner requested the Lahore High Court to declare the construction on the ground or any amendment in the scheme illegal, without jurisdiction and in violation of fundamental rights.

He also requested the Lahore High Court to take action against the officials involved in squandering public money on the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2013.