Needless and inefficient
The Orange Line is turning out to be a typical PML-N project; a high-visibility mega project that should sell well at the election, even if not much needed, and of course controversial and pushed through without proper procedure. But now it has run into a brick wall that will not be easily climbed. The Lahore High Court (LHC) has done what civil society protests, routine opposition walkout and even UNESCO concern could not do – it has pushed the Line at least 200 feet away from 11 important heritage sites.
Now precisely the kind of problems that the Punjab government has continuously brushed aside must be confronted. Unless it can get the Supreme Court to swing the decision back in its favour, it will inevitably have to change the route at various points. The kind of subsequent financial blowback is typical of inefficient and ill-planned projects. Also, as long as the impasse continues the public will be treated to uprooted infrastructure and frustrating traffic jams indefinitely. All along the government has sidestepped all sorts of questions through a politically correct PR drive. But now the Court has put its back against the wall.
However this project progresses, hopefully the government will draw the right lessons from it. One, it must end its habit of keeping everybody in the dark and taking important decisions unilaterally. The N-league has been held guilty of this practice on numerous occasions. It has alienated not only much of the public, but also leaders within the party who are not part of the top leadership’s close kitchen cabinet. Two, it must appreciate people’s association with whatever is left of our once great heritage. And three, it is time for the ruling party to revise its priority list. It continues to be obsessed with big projects that have little to do with the people’s most pressing needs.
