Firdaus Market underpass project can be halted: LHC CJ

LAHORE:Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Tuesday observed that the project of Firdaus Market underpass could be stayed as apparently there were violations of guidelines set by the Supreme Court.

The chief justice was hearing a petition filed by a company questioning violation of several laws, including the requisites for land acquisition in the project. The counsel for the company argued that the affectees of the project were not given a mandatory opportunity of personal hearing before the start of the project.

He said the contract of the project awarded to a company, Maqbool Kolsan, which, he claimed, had been blacklisted in projects of Orange Line Metro Train Lahore and BRT Peshawar. He also alleged that the government forcibly acquired the land for the project from owners against their will and also paid them below the market price. The counsel argued that elected LG representatives had the mandate to carry out such projects but the LDA initiated it by usurping the powers of municipal corporation. CJ Khan observed that apparently the project had been launched in violation of the apex court’s decisions. He said the court could halt the project if the government failed to come up with a satisfactory reply. “The court can also shut down the whole LDA,” the chief justice warned the counsel of the authority and directed him to come fully prepared on the next hearing, July 9.

LDA City: An accountability court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of LDA City case by July 7. The NAB had accused former LDA DG Ahad Khan Cheema in this case. However, the Lahore High Court had granted bail to Cheema in this case. In bail matter, Cheema’s counsel Azam Nazir Tarar had argued that over one-and-half years passed but the NAB failed to file reference.