Public interest: ‘Lahore shouldn’t cater only to car owners’
Demo staged against signal-free corridor, elevated road projects.
The govt should divert funds from unnecessary urban development projects in Lahore to underdeveloped regions in the province, activists said. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS
LAHORE:
Dozens of people came together on Sunday at a protest demonstration organised by the Lahore Bachao Tehreek in the city.
Environment and urbanisation activist Imrana Tiwana said the government had been spending the entire development budget of the province on executing development projects in the city. “No attention is being paid to developing backward regions of the province,” she said. Tiwana said she had been heartened by Lahore High Court’s (LHC’s) recent decision to stay the construction of an elevated expressway over the Samanabad Drain and a signal-free corridor from Liberty to Qurtaba Chowk. “The projects had been initiated without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A public hearing regarding the projects was also not held,” Tiwana said
Tanvir Ahmed, another protester, said the planned construction of the expressway could directly affect him. “Across the world highways do not pass through residential areas. What has the government been thinking?” he said. Ahmed said construction of more roads would not ensure a smooth flow of traffic and ease congestion.
Painter Ajaz Anwar, another protester, said the demonstrators did not want Lahore to become a city that catered to the needs of vehicle-owners only. Architect and urban planner Raza Ali Dada expressed the same concern. He called the projects “a knee-jerk reaction” saying they were against public interest and violated the law.
The protesters chanted slogans saying they had ventured outside to save the city on the occasion. They also handed out flowers and flyers to motorists and exhorted them to take action to prevent environmental degradation in the city.
The demonstration was organised by the Tehreek to call public attention to divisive development projects by highlighting that they were not in citizens’ interest.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2015.
Dozens of people came together on Sunday at a protest demonstration organised by the Lahore Bachao Tehreek in the city.
Environment and urbanisation activist Imrana Tiwana said the government had been spending the entire development budget of the province on executing development projects in the city. “No attention is being paid to developing backward regions of the province,” she said. Tiwana said she had been heartened by Lahore High Court’s (LHC’s) recent decision to stay the construction of an elevated expressway over the Samanabad Drain and a signal-free corridor from Liberty to Qurtaba Chowk. “The projects had been initiated without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A public hearing regarding the projects was also not held,” Tiwana said
Tanvir Ahmed, another protester, said the planned construction of the expressway could directly affect him. “Across the world highways do not pass through residential areas. What has the government been thinking?” he said. Ahmed said construction of more roads would not ensure a smooth flow of traffic and ease congestion.
Painter Ajaz Anwar, another protester, said the demonstrators did not want Lahore to become a city that catered to the needs of vehicle-owners only. Architect and urban planner Raza Ali Dada expressed the same concern. He called the projects “a knee-jerk reaction” saying they were against public interest and violated the law.
The protesters chanted slogans saying they had ventured outside to save the city on the occasion. They also handed out flowers and flyers to motorists and exhorted them to take action to prevent environmental degradation in the city.
The demonstration was organised by the Tehreek to call public attention to divisive development projects by highlighting that they were not in citizens’ interest.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2015.