The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday restrained the Punjab government and Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) from cutting trees at a greenbelt in the Shadbagh area for setting up a food street. The interim stay order was passed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed after hearing arguments by the petitioner’s counsel.
The judge also sought a report from the PHA until May 20 in this regard. Former Shadbagh deputy nazim Hafiz Moin Ahmed filed the petition challenging setting up a food street by PHA after removing trees at a greenbelt in Shadbagh. Petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique argued that the PHA had removed the greenbelt in Shadbagh Scheme-II and decided to convert it into a restaurant and food street in sheer violation of Supreme Court’s (SC) orders.
He pointed out that the Punjab government or PHA has no authority to change the nature of parks and greenbelts to establish restaurants and food streets. Moin said that parks and greenbelts are built to provide better environment to residents of the area and such action is a violation of fundamental rights and the Local Government Ordinance 2001 and other relevant laws.
The petitioner said that local residents were protesting against the move but the Punjab government was paying no heed. He requested the court to set aside the order of setting up a food street and restore the greenbelt to its original state.