QAU ASA questions legality of PEPA public hearing

Islamabad : Academic Staff Association, Quaid-i-Azam University, has strongly questioned the legality of public hearing organised by Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA) on Bharakahu Bypass at Convention Centre here Friday.

The government and CDA want to complete the Bypass within three months during the tenure of PDM government. The campus community comprising faculty, employees and students including the alumni association stress that the project should be carried out in such a manner that does not adversely affect the campus and QAU expansion plans.

The existing scheme of things separates new housing colony for staff and teachers, Botanical Garden and its future park area from the rest of academic blocks, hostels and old housing colonies. They reject the CDA offer to let Shahdara Road intact as an umbilical link between the two regions.

The campus community says that the 4-lane Flyover project over 3,5 km stretch over Murree Road from Green Bus Terminal to close to Satra Meel should be constructed for which PEPA had already approved the Environment Impact Assessment Report submitted by National Highway Authority in April, 2021. It is interesting to note that the bypass project which CDA is forcibly pushing ahead now also includes an around half kilometre Flyover from Jhuggi stop onwards.

The CDA had argued that flyover option on the whole Bharakahu market may be opposed by shopkeepers who may go into litigation that would cause delay in the project. There is some area maintained by security outfits also. The trouble is on few hundred metres on the western side of Murree Road as the eastern lane shops and buildings are away where no shop will be affected by the flyover. There is a pedestrian bridge also at Athal Chowk.

The QAU staff also suggested an alternative solution of starting the 600-wide bypass from Green Bus Terminal instead of present site of Malpur which can be connected to the earmarked area near Bukhari Road which enters into Dhoke Hathial upto Jhuggi stop. It involves QAU land also but it does not divide the territory into two disjointed areas linked by just a two-lane road.

According to a statement issued by ASA, the proceedings were “hijacked” by the Capital Development Authority at the very outset in the open hearing which is mandatory before processing the EIA report prepared by CDA and FWO.

ASA argues that the faculty, students and residents of university colonies were not given a fair chance to voice their technical and legal concerns regarding construction of the bypass which bifurcates the QAU land.

The association strongly condemned the “threats and manhandling of its faculty and students” by some elements present in the “garb of residents” in the open hearing. The ruckus was a well-orchestrated effort to sabotage the proceedings of the hearing, the association lamented adding that ASA has a firm belief that projects of public interest should be built in accordance with master plan of Islamabad.