Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed has opposed the government’s decision to build a tunnel through the Margalla Hills to link Islamabad with Haripur.
Per news reports, the government has already directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) and Capital Development Authority (CDA) to quickly implement the decision to construct the tunnel.
Talking to media men on Sunday, Mushahid termed the project illegal, saying it was being planned in violation of the laws governing the MargallaHillsNational Park and appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take suo moto notice against the project.
Mushahid said that the decision to construct the tunnel had angered and shocked the citizens of Islamabad. The senator also cited three reasons why such a project should be stopped immediately.
Hussain said building a tunnel through the hills would be a violation of the law as the national park is protected by law from construction of any kind.
He said the tunnel would threaten the environment of the national park and Islamabad and cause irreparable damage to the ecology and beauty of Islamabad, which is one of the most beautiful capitals of the world.
The senator also said that it seemed the decision to build the tunnel had been hurriedly taken as even the official procedure for processing and permitting such projects was not followed.
“Such projects require prior approval from the Planning Commission and sanction by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) as well as a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Environment Protection Agency,” Hussain said.
Hussain said he would take up the issue in the forthcoming senate session on September 23.
He advised the government to immediately withdraw the controversial project and earn the goodwill of the citizens of Islamabad, who wished to preserve, protect and promote their city’s natural beauty and clean environment.