Conservation concerns: ‘Road widening plan violates court order’

Lahore Bachao Tehreek says construction will reduce space for greenbelts.

LAHORE: Lahore Development Authority’s (LDA) plan to widen the Canal Road on two sections violates a Supreme Court verdict and The Lahore Canal Heritage Park Act 2013, Lahore Bachao Tehreek (LBT) convener Imrana Tiwana says.

LDA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed has said the agency plans to widen the 3.25-kilometre stretch between Doctors’ Hospital and Naiz Beg and the 7-kilometre stretch between The Mall and Harbanspura at a cost of Rs3 billion. Saeed says the project had been designed on the recommendations of a mediation committee formed under The Lahore Canal Heritage Park Act.



He says the Provincial Development Working Party has approved the project and that the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted an environmental impact assessment last week.

He said the EPA had not issued a no-objection certificate (NoC) so far to start the construction. He said the project would help address traffic problems. The chief engineer says the two-lane sections of the road are to be widened to four lanes and underpasses are to be re-aligned.

An official from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) said on Tuesday the agency had not done the environmental impact assessment.

“The EPA will issue the certificate after fulfilling all obligations,” the official said on condition on anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Tiwana said any such construction would violate a Supreme Court verdict and The Lahore Canal Heritage Park Act. She said the LDA had requested the EPA to issue the NoC. She said greenbelts served as ‘recharging zones’ for underground water. “Road construction will reduce the space available for this recycling.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2014.