A joint meeting of the Lahore Bachao Tehreek (LBT) was held at Laal Pul on the Canal Road on Sunday, concluding with the passage of a resolution to protest violation of the Supreme Court (SC) judgment and orders. Members of the civil society, rights activists and others joined hands to pass the “Laal Pul” resolution.
The participants said despite the judgment passed by the SC restricting all activities related to further widening of roads along the canal, it was sad to see that the orders were being blatantly “violated in letter and spirit”. Participants further said as citizens of Lahore, it was their belief that raising a collective voice to preserve and nurture the city that was loved by its dwellers, was imperative for citizen inclusive good governance. The city of Lahore had been besieged with aimless road widening and development projects, which were ad-hoc and ad-infinitum, they said.
Earlier, a judgment passed by the SC had declared the Canal Road from Thokar Niaz Beg to Jallo Park as a “Public Trust & Urban Heritage Park”.
LBT convener Imrana Tiwana said, “We cannot let the city become a victim of further misguided and irreversible degradation and destruction in the name of ‘development’. While carrying a pro-development and green agenda, we believe the only way forward is by Integrated Comprehensive Sustainable Development’. The rule of law must be respected and blatant violations be disallowed.”
“Things are going towards a point of no return, as the incident of Laal Pul is a clear violation of the SC order,” she added.
Meanwhile, a resident of Laal Pul, Malik Shafique, said the greenbelt along the road was very important for the local residents as it stopped rain water from entering the residential area, adding that rain water accumulated on the roads was now entering their homes and raising many problems.
