LHC questions absence of Yellow Line project documents

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has reiterated its stance on prioritising environmental protection and citizen welfare in Lahore’s urban development, barring the felling of trees along Canal Road for the proposed Yellow Line train project and urging authorities to adopt a more accountable and structured approach to infrastructure planning.

In the most recent hearing on the smog control case, Advocate General Punjab Amjad Pervaiz appeared before the court and informed the bench that the PC-1 (Project Concept-1) for the Yellow Line project has not yet been prepared and that no formal documentation is currently on record. The court maintained that if the government intends to move forward with the project, the PC-1 must be submitted.

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However, Justice Shahid Karim made it unequivocally clear that no trees along the Canal Road corridor, now declared a national heritage site, may be cut for the development. “These small trees have now matured and required considerable effort to nurture,” he observed. The court also lauded the provincial government’s apparent seriousness towards environmental concerns and commended Advocate General Pervaiz’s presentation.

This hearing follows a series of proceedings on controlling smog in the city with earlier ones on July 28 and August 1, where the court issued strong directives to government bodies, including WASA and the Environment Department, over delays, mismanagement, and a lack of consideration for citizens during urban development works respectively.

At the August 1 hearing, the court once again reprimanded WASA and related departments for initiating projects without planning alternate routes for the public. It barred the start of any new construction unless proper detour arrangements were in place and instructed that contractors be held accountable for compliance.

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Justice Karim stressed that all future projects must balance environmental impact with public convenience. “You cannot dig up roads and forget about them. At the very least, people need access to their homes and workplaces,” he remarked.

On July 28, the court ordered the restoration of service roads on three major roads in Lahore within a month and expressed dismay over WASA’s inability to complete construction work in a timely manner. It cited viral videos of rain-flooded streets as evidence of the disruption caused by persistent excavation. The DG WASA was summoned to appear in person with a detailed report on all ongoing projects.

The court further demanded a comprehensive plan from the Environment Department to tackle heavy traffic and motorcycle emissions, noting that despite forming enforcement units, the government had failed to ensure adequate implementation and oversight.

The court adjourned the hearing until next week, seeking implementation reports from all relevant departments on the directives issued so far.