LAHORE: The government of Punjab on Monday assured the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) divisional bench comprising Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and Justice Atir Mehmood that Bab-e-Pakistan monument would be completed in the next two years.
The assistant advocate general apprised the court that the pre-qualification process has been completed and the provincial government has already contacted five different firms for that matter. Parks and Horticulture Authority’s director general gave the undertaking to complete the project in the next two years.
The court expressed its disappointment over the lapse of twenty-eight years without any progress on the project. The petitioner, former Punjab opposition leader Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, argued that government’s lack of efficiency has resulted in the alteration of the initial plan, which is in violations of the Antiquities Act 1976.
The counsel for the petitioner Sheraz Zaka argued that the government is giving attention to mega projects, such as Metro Train, at the expense of projects which demand our attention.
Punjab’s government’s Finance Department confessed that the impugned expression of interest twice was drawn twice before that, and this would be government’s third attempt when it would restart the construction of the monument.
It was further argued that the project has not been completed despite that almost Rs1405 million has been spent on the project.
However, upon the undertaking given by the Punjab government, the court disposed-off the petition.
