Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has constituted a two-member commission of technical experts for re-verification of reports pertaining to environmental assessment keeping in view the impact on heritage sites after the completion of Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project in Lahore costing Rs 45 billion.

They said the commission is comprised of international experts on technical modalities and preservation of heritage. “After considering the background of the controversy involved in the present proceedings, we deem it appropriate to appoint M/s TYPSA-Asian Consulting Engineers (Pvt.) Ltd and Professor Robin Coningham, Professor in the Department of Archeology, UNESCO, as commission of technical experts for re-verification of credibility of the NESPAK Reports dated July 2015 and February 2016 relied upon by the appellant (Punjab government), in the context of the Antiquities Act 1975 and Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985,” the top court ruled.

They said the commission would re-verify the environmental assessment reports separately prepared by the National Engineering Services Pakistan Ltd (NESPAK) and the Advisory Committee on the OLMT project. The heritage sites include the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and Baba Mauj Darya Bukhari’s shrine, Shalimar Garden, Gulabi Bagh Gateway, Buddhu ka Awa, Chauburji, Zebunnisa’s Tomb, Lakshmi Building, General Post Office, and Aiwan-i-Auqaf.

A five-judge larger bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali on Friday resumed the hearing on appeals instituted by the Punjab government, Lahore Development Authority, the Punjab Mass Transit Authority and Nespak against the Lahore High Court’s, wherein the superior court had ordered to suspend the construction work within 200 feet of 11 heritage sites in Lahore.

Names of other consultants proposed by the provincial government including EA Consulting (Pvt) Ltd (previously worked with Lahore Development Authority), Osmani and Companies (Pvt) Ltd (previously worked with Punjab Mass-transit Authority), Moore Archeology and Environment Services and Wardell Armstrong Archeology have been dropped by the top court.

The commission, comprising international consultants, will be borne by the government of Punjab. “Their respective fee etc will be settled and paid by Government of Punjab,” the top court ruled. “We expect that the technical experts, so appointed, will expedite the proceedings of re-verification of reports in the above terms and will submit their report within 30 days,” the court said.

Expressing displeasure over the ‘wide of the mark’ coverage of top court’s proceedings by sections of the media, the chief justice observed that his remarks during the course of early hearing a day ago were misinterpreted. He observed that the media should exercise caution instead of creating sensationalism through their reporting in the media which distorted the actual facts.

Through a press statement issued from the office, the Supreme Court’s spokesperson clarified that the remarks attributed to chief justice during the hearing of Orange Line Train Project in sections of the media are concocted. The press statement stated that the news item gave the impression as if the chief justice of Pakistan was inciting people against the rulers of Pakistan, adding it is clarified that the news item was baseless and misleading.

“In fact, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan had remarked, “people should carefully assess the situation and prudently use their right to vote while electing their representatives,” stated the press statement.