Model Town residents to fight commercialisation

Model Town Society administration advocates selling green spaces to raise funds.

LAHORE: Three weeks after the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Model Town Society (MTS), where several residents raised their voices against the proposed commercialisation of J-block’s green space, residents are now wondering whether the Society’s administration is using delaying tactics to get around their verdict, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The J-block green space is located behind the Shell gas station at the Ferozepur Road entrance to Model Town. It has around 3,000 trees. The once public space has been cordoned off with a large padlock restricting residents from accessing the area. Construction in the area has already begun with the clearing of four to five kanal area.

MTS resident Mian Feroze Salahuddin told The Express Tribune that in the original MTS master plan, green spaces were meant to account for nearly 72 per cent of the total land. He said only 30 per cent of the green spaces were left. He said that he and a few other residents had made an effort over the past decades to maintain the Society’s green areas by planting trees.

Model Town Residents Association president Amer Azam said that the residents had discovered through a newspaper advertisement that the Society had divided the J-block green space into 16 and proposed to sell those as commercial plots. He said that at the AGM almost everyone objected to the administration’s idea as it was a violation of the original master plan of the MTS.

He said that the MTS by-laws had no rules or regulations with regard to commercial buildings and plazas. Azam said that there was no registrar currently to address residents’ complaints regarding issues like the one at hand.

“We do not want Model Town to turn into a commercial area like Gulberg,” said Azam. “The residents have asked for the administration to fix its practices rather than recklessly engage in illegal acts without the residents’ consent,” he added.

According to residents who had attended the AGM, MTS President Colonel Tahir Kardar had informed them that the proposed commercialisation of what had originally been a green space, was meant to raise funds for the society. Despite an overwhelming majority of residents’ displeasure at the prospect of commercialisation, Kardar said that a special committee would be formed to deal with the issue.

Salahuddin, who also attended the meeting, said that the residents had organised themselves and were going to file a petition with the High Court. He said that they could not get an order against the commercialisation of the greenbelt before the AGM because the court was closed.

“There has been no progress, the board seems to have the deal fixed,” an executive board member said. The board member said several of the board members were suspected of having vested interest in the development of the commercial area in J-block. He said that President Kardar had by-passed normal procedures by taking the issue directly to the AGM. As for raising funds for the Society, he said, the problem  could only be solved through proper administration.

Environmentalist Rafay Alam told The Express Tribune that the land legally belonged to the MTS. He said if the MTS followed its rules and regulations for the use of the land for commercial purposes then it could go ahead with the plan.

“However, the commercialisation will clearly have adverse impact on the environment. It’s well known that commercialisation in residential areas leads to traffic congestion and worsens air quality,” Alam said. “The MTS should know that they will also need an Environment Impact Assessment before any commercialisation,” added Alam.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2010.