ISLAMABAD: On Monday, five Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) faculty members appealed against the decision dismissing their petition, opposing the Bhara Kahu bypass’s construction on university property.
The applications were rejected by IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb on December 12 as Kashif Ali Malik Advocate assisted the appellants to file a court appeal against the decision of IHC.
According to the draft of the appeal, the appellants are Doctors of Philosophy in their respective disciplines at the QAU and as concerned citizens had challenged the legality of the Bhara Kahu Bypass project.
The 8-km long Bhara Kahu bypass proposed and initiated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), by illegally carving out a new alignment for Margalla Road is in sheer violation, the appeal stated.
Furthermore, it also said that the CDA was required, by Section 12 of the Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997, to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA) before starting construction.
However, it must be acknowledged that the development of the project had already started without assessment of the Pak-EPA.
Additionally, the petitioners added that this was done even though the Islamabad High Court had instructed the respondents to proceed lawfully and in compliance with environmental laws before undertaking such construction activity.
The petition also claimed that the property in question belonged to future generations and listed many projects, including the CPEC Research Centre on Earth Science, as a part of the university’s future growth plan.
It continued that the QAU syndicate decided to approve the allocation of 50 acres for the construction of the CPEC Research Centre on Earth Sciences at QAU at its 174th meeting on May 30, 2019, subject to conditions that will be worked out by the HEC, QAU, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It is worth mentioning that on September 30, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid the groundwork for the Bhara Kahu bypass and gave the National Logistics Cell (NLC) 3 months to finish the project.
The 5-kilometer route would begin on Murree Road near the QAU stop and conclude on Murree Road near the Jugi bus stop next to Punjab Cash and Carry and from there a flyover will lead the traffic outside Bhara Kahu market, heading toward Murree.
Surprised to see the stance of Professors to restrain millions of citizens to be benifitted from most needed Project. Professors had once given this land to QAU Housing Scheme and allotted plots to themselves and fought with GoP the same way defending their illegitimate decision to grab University Land. CDA had to give them a full Sub Sector of G-14/4 to save University/Government land going in private ownership. Today instead of supporting use of this vacant land to resolve a sore point in City Traffic, they are fighting against public benifit. Our honorable professors should kindly consider the issue seeing holistically and be accommodating for public at large. Now Vertical development is being adopted around the world and QAU should also go for Master Planning as per new trends worldwide. They were allotted largest Chunk of land illegally in sheer violation of Islamabad Master Plan by Gen. Zia ul Haq during Martial Law and they should understand it.