The proposed Orange Line Metro Train Project, supposed to be carried out in Lahore at a cost of around Rs165 billion, with Chinese collaboration, is a subject of heated discussion. Still, most people do not have the exact idea how its modalities have been worked out.
There are many who would be surprised when they find that the Orange Line would run on an elevated platform and not underground. Others are not aware of its exact route. There are still others whose properties lie along the prospective route of the train and they are worried about losing them at throw-away prices. They are having nightmares as they know the government can take their properties under the existing land acquisition moot and the only relief they can get is the ‘reasonable price’ they are offered.
The timeline of the project is another piece of information they are interested in knowing at the earliest. But would they?
The fears of the city people are genuine, as they still remember what happened in the case of the Lahore Metro Bus Project; it involved a great deal of land acquisition, and the businesses and lives of people suffered due to the unending construction activity near their business centres and/or residential areas.
There has been no interaction with the general public, no feasibility study and certainly no suggestion-inviting. It appears that the prime objective of the Punjab government is to complete the project as quick as possible and present it before the public in order to secure its vote bank in the next elections.
A positive development in the current scenario is that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Orange Line Project has been conducted and its report, prepared by the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak), has been issued by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).
The report was recently up for a public hearing at Punjabi Complex, Lahore and the people were asked to come up with questions, reservations or suggestions that they may have in this respect.
This scribe attended the public hearing to find out about the response and level of participation of the people, especially those who never miss a chance to criticise such projects. Amazingly, most of them were missing and the majority comprised people whose properties lay along the route and were likely to be taken over, partially or completely, for inclusion in the project.
There were a few lawyers, architects, students and social workers to be seen but hardly anybody could question the quality of the EIA report or seek answers on the environmental and health hazards of the project. None of the participants seemed to have studied the EIA report which had been made available online prior to the hearing.
Read also: Down the Orange Line
The representatives of the Lahore Bachhao Tehreek were also conspicuous by their absence. The critics were of the opinion that the Tehreek was only concerned about the cutting of trees along the Lahore Canal and the development projects in and around Gulberg; areas beyond these points did not concern them.
TNS talked to different stakeholders on the utility of the public hearing and how it could be made more fruitful. They were also asked whether it was a mere formality or the exercise would have some impact on the final shape of the project. Their responses are being reproduced here.
Naseem-ur-Rehman, Director, Environment Protection Department (EPD), Punjab, said the public hearing was a very relevant exercise as "it helped a lot in creating confidence among the public, giving them the feeling that they are not being cheated."
He also said that the announcement about the public hearing had been made a month ago through newspapers and banners, "The intention was that maximum people should attend it.
"The issues highlighted [during the hearing] shall be weighed so that they could be incorporated in the final project plan," he added.
Architect Raza Ali raised the question on the safety of historical monuments such as Chauburji and Shalimar Gardens that lay on the route of the Orange Line. He said these were heritage sites and massive construction in their close vicinity would be a violation of local and international laws regarding conservation.
"As the train station would be constructed at a distance of 200 metres from Chauburji, it shall destroy the grand view of the historical place. The same goes for Shalimar Gardens. It’s quite possible that the government would have to revise a construction plan near these points and make underground passages here."
Amidst the few people who had specific questions or suggestions, there were those who just talked in favour of or against the project. To their chagrin, they were conveyed the message that the Orange Line was a reality and it did not need a public endorsement or rejection. The objective of the hearing, according to the organisers, was simply to initiate a multilateral dialogue on how to make the project more people-friendly and a win-win for all.
Muhammad Farooq from Daroghawala was concerned about his restaurant named Karmanwala which had been marked for a likely destruction in case the metro station was built there. He said there was a huge tract of government land available in closer vicinity but the government must acquire properties of hundreds of people and thereby deprive them of their livelihood.
Farooq requested that the station be built on government land as there was very little construction on it.
A female schoolteacher and a mother of three appreciated the project but said that her five-marla house, which was all she had, would be acquired and demolished in the course of the project. She asked if she would be able to get a price with which she could buy a new house or the government would give DC rates which are far less than the market price.
Sana Ijaz, a college student, questioned the logic of launching the project that would require 74MW electricity in an energy deficient country. She said if the very hall in which the hearing was being held was without electricity for the previous three hours, how could the government ensure power supply to this project?
The much-needed relief, however, came when Khalid Mehmood Alvi of Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Authority (TEPA) announced that the plan to construct underground stations had been shelved and now they would be above green.
This, he said, would reduce the land acquisition by 70 per cent.
Alvi also announced setting up of several facilitation centres along the route of the train where the concerned people could approach the officials for any guidance or help.
Waheed Gull, a PML-N MPA, assured the participants that they would get compensation against the acquisition of their properties which would be much more than the prevailing market prices. He said the chief minister had announced that possession would be considered as ownership and even those who had no property documents as proof would be compensated in the same way.
Commenting on the utility of the public hearing, Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environmentalist with interest in urban planning, said the EIA of the project itself had stated that the contractor for the Orange Line was yet to provide final drawings of the train’s alignment.
He said the EIA was "premature at best" as it did not have the final details of the project. "Subsequent changes in the project design could have impacts the EIA did not and could not have considered."
On the absence of sufficient civil society members at the public hearing, Alam said, "I wish the civil society were better organised. Still, one need not worry about the opinions of the people stuffed into the auditorium to support the project."