Need to provide relief: Govt allowed to resume work on coal-fired plant

Counsel for govt says the scheme must be completed to end power crisis

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday vacated a stay order it had granted against the construction of the 1,320 megawatt Qadirabad Coal-fired Power Project in Sahiwal.

Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh recalled the stay order on the provincial government’s request. Counsel for the government argued that the project would help deal with electricity crisis.

He said the project would be completed in time if the court withdrew the stay order.

The lawyer said the government had suffered financial losses after work on the project was suspended.

Justice Sheikh then recalled the order allowing the government to resume work. The hearing was adjourned until November 24.

On October 14, Justice Sheikh had maintained status quo on the construction of the plant on a petition by Saif Power Limited and others.The petitioner said the project had been started without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. It said international standards had not been followed for the scheme. It said the government was required to comply with and adhere to the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS).

The petitioner said the project would ruin agricultural land in the area and affect people’s health. It had requested the court to order the government to stop its construction.

Shahbaz on energy crisis

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Thursday work on power projects across the province was continuing round the clock.

Speaking to select assembly members, the chief minister said power plants generating 3,600 megawatt would be run on gas.

“The energy crisis will be resolved. Pakistan will be put on the road to development.” He said thousands of megawatts would be added to the national grid by the end of 2017.

MNA Rohail Asghar and MPA Ghazali Butt were also present.

Eligibility: ECP stopped from declaring Hassaan the returned candidate

Lahore High Court (LHC) restrained the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday from issuing a notification declaring Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan the returned candidate for UC 107 chairman.

Justice Shahid Karim was hearing a petition filed by a voter in the union council.

His counsel Sheraz Zaka said Hassaan had held the office of Lahore Development Authority vice chairman. He said Hassaan had also been a director of the Lahore Waste Management Company.

He said Section 27 of the Local Government Act 2013 stated that a person who was in service of a statutory body controlled by a provincial government was not eligible to contest local government elections within two years of holding the office.

He said the returning officer concerned had accepted Hassaan’s nomination papers without deciding on his objection.

The counsel for the ECP objected to the maintainability of the petition saying that the petitioner was not an aggrieved party.

The counsel for Hassaan said the office of LDA vice chairman did not offer a salary or any perks.

Justice Karim, however, restrained the ECP from issuing the notification until a final order was issued on the petition. The hearing was adjourned until November 3.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2015.