The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered that Lady Willingdon Hospital should not be demolished.
The Young Doctors’ Association and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Dr Yasmin Rashid had filed petitions saying the government planned to demolish a portion of the hospital for the Minar-i-Pakistan Interchange project.
They had said that the demolition contravened Articles 14, 10-A, 9, 24, 23, 19-A, 16, 15 and 25-A of the Constitution.
Today, the LHC ordered that the grounds of the hospital can be used for the construction of the flyover at Azadi Chowk, adding that renovation of the hospital should be done within 45 days after which a report should be submitted.
Earlier in February, the LHC had extended the stay order against the demolition of a portion of the hospital falling in way of the project till that date.
Buildings on both sides of Ravi Road, from Timber Market to Taxali Chowk, were being demolished except for the hospital building.
Authorities had, however, dismantled billboards from the hospital’s premises and removed the pavement next to the hospital’s boundary.
Although the authorities had planned to acquire two kanals and 11 marlas of the hospital’s land (a mosque and washrooms have been built on the area), the court had granted a stay order considering the alleged contravention of law.
The stay was first granted on January 30 by Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry. It was extended by Justice Abdul Sattar Asghar on February 6 who had also issued notices to the relevant authorities for reply and comments.
According to the Young Doctors’ Association and the PTI leader, the hospital had been constructed on 120 kanals 83 years ago.
