Lady Willingdon: LHC directs government to submit demolition plan

The judge extended the stay against the demolition and directed the government to submit the project plan by Feb 21.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab government to submit the plan of the partial demolition of Lady Willingdon Hospital, and the construction of the flyover at Azadi Chowk.

Justice Abdul Sattar Asghar was hearing two petitions against the demolition of the hospital moved by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Yasmin Rashid and the Young Doctors’ Association.

The judge also extended the stay against the demolition and directed the government to submit the project plan on February 21. The petitioners had submitted that no part of the historical monument should be demolished.

The petitioners argued that the demolition was in violation of many articles of the Constitution and provisions of Walled City Act 2012, Antiquities Act 1975, and the Punjab Special Premises Preservations 1985. They said the government had not carried out an environmental impact assessment for the construction of the flyover at Azadi Chowk.

A mandatory ‘no objection certificate’ from the Environment Protection Department had also not been obtained, they said. The government responded that the land acquisition law did not apply to the acquisition of its own land, and the hospital’s land belonged to the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2014.