ISLAMABAD: The hearing for the Orange Line Metro Train Project (OLMTP) case was adjourned for an unspecified period as one of the judges in the bench, Justice Hani Muslim, recused himself from the case citing personal reasons.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim also backed out of a bench hearing the Panama Leaks case on Saturday.
A five-member bench headed by the former chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali began hearing the Orange Line case, after the Punjab government filed an appeal in the apex court over a Lahore High Court decision ordering a halt in construction work around 11 heritage sites.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on August 19 had barred provincial authorities from carrying out construction work within a radius of 200 feet around 11 heritage sites. These sites where construction work was restricted included Shalimar Gardens, Gulabi Bagh Gateway, Chauburji, Buddhu ka Awa, Zebunnisa’s Tomb, Lakshmi Building, General Post Office, Aiwan-e-Auqaf, SC Lahore registry building, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church at Nabha Road and Baba Mauj Darya Bukhari’s Shrine.
The OLMTP is an ambitious project of the Punjab government which aims to provide a 27.1 kilometres rapid transit line across the city. In full operation, the project is expected to benefit 250,000 people every day. The project is crucial considering the rising traffic problems in the city due to a lack of public transport initiatives. However, activists argue that the construction of the Orange Line is detrimental to the heritage buildings and sites of Lahore which exist near the proposed track.
