Awaz Apni ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday sought a detailed report till December 21 on cutting of trees due to extension of the Canal View Road Project in Lahore from the provincial environment secretary and the director general.
A three-member SC bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Justice Tariq Parvez, was hearing a suo moto case initiated against the cutting of trees.
Nawaz Manik, deputy director of the Punjab Environment Protection Department, Israr Khan, project director of the Lahore Canal Road, and Khadim Hussain Qaiser, Additional Advocate General Punjab, appeared in the court in connection with the notice.
Israr Khan presented a report of Nespak about the impact on the environment due to the cutting of trees. However, the civic representatives negated the report and contended that the report was about a previous project and had nothing to do with the current project.
Israr Khan told the court that the Canal View project would affect 1,844 trees, however, 4,304 new trees would be planted. He said fruit trees would be saved. Giving details of the project, he said it was a 14 km project that starts from Thokar Niaz Baig and ends at Dharampura underpass.
Imrana Tiwana, an architect and environmentalist, told the court that the project would cause a severe damage and irreparable loss to the hundreds of years old archaeological heritage of the city.
She said this heritage is considered to be one of the rich heritages of world. She said the project of expanding the road has been designed to benefit a selected few not more than eight per cent and majority of the remaining citizens is being neglected. She said there are 700 buses in Lahore and the city has been declared the most polluted city of the country but government is not paying any heed towards it. She said in the US and Seoul, traffic issues are solved without disturbing ecosystem.
The chief justice then observed that the government in London did not go for expansion of its roads merely to preserve its heritage.
“How such a project of huge cost is in favour of the country in the current economic situation,” the chief justice said. “See Karachi, how a young Nazim has excellently worked,” the chief justice said, adding the ‘authorities’ of Lahore should go to Karachi to see his excellent work. Lamenting the strategy of cutting trees for expansion of roads, Imrana Tiwana said instead of making transport system efficient, trees are being sacrificed to expand the roads. The court adjourned the hearing for December 21.
A three-member SC bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Justice Tariq Parvez, was hearing a suo moto case initiated against the cutting of trees.
Nawaz Manik, deputy director of the Punjab Environment Protection Department, Israr Khan, project director of the Lahore Canal Road, and Khadim Hussain Qaiser, Additional Advocate General Punjab, appeared in the court in connection with the notice.
Israr Khan presented a report of Nespak about the impact on the environment due to the cutting of trees. However, the civic representatives negated the report and contended that the report was about a previous project and had nothing to do with the current project.
Israr Khan told the court that the Canal View project would affect 1,844 trees, however, 4,304 new trees would be planted. He said fruit trees would be saved. Giving details of the project, he said it was a 14 km project that starts from Thokar Niaz Baig and ends at Dharampura underpass.
Imrana Tiwana, an architect and environmentalist, told the court that the project would cause a severe damage and irreparable loss to the hundreds of years old archaeological heritage of the city.
She said this heritage is considered to be one of the rich heritages of world. She said the project of expanding the road has been designed to benefit a selected few not more than eight per cent and majority of the remaining citizens is being neglected. She said there are 700 buses in Lahore and the city has been declared the most polluted city of the country but government is not paying any heed towards it. She said in the US and Seoul, traffic issues are solved without disturbing ecosystem.
The chief justice then observed that the government in London did not go for expansion of its roads merely to preserve its heritage.
“How such a project of huge cost is in favour of the country in the current economic situation,” the chief justice said. “See Karachi, how a young Nazim has excellently worked,” the chief justice said, adding the ‘authorities’ of Lahore should go to Karachi to see his excellent work. Lamenting the strategy of cutting trees for expansion of roads, Imrana Tiwana said instead of making transport system efficient, trees are being sacrificed to expand the roads. The court adjourned the hearing for December 21.
