LAHORE – Prime Minister said on Friday that government would move the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court’s ruling to nullify the Ravi Urban Development Project.
The premier stated this while talking to media during his visit to Rakh Jhok Jungle at Sheikhupura. He said that the case would be presented in a better manner to apprise the court about the significance of the project.
He rejected a misconception that the Ravi Urban project is a housing society, adding that the mega development project would address the faults in the wake of unplanned construction of the city.
Terming the project crucial for the Punjab’s capital, he believed that it will be the second planned city after Islamabad.
He said that project will not only create job opportunities but also help tackle the climate change.
On Tuesday, LHC declared the Ravi Riverfort Urban Development Project (RRUDP), a mega development project in the provincial capital, illegal.
The high court issued the ruling on petitions filed by farmers, challenging the government’s land acquisition procedure for RRUDP.
It also declared Section 4 of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (amendment) Ordinance 2021 unlawful and unconstitutional, stating that the said sections are in violation of Article 144 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The court remarked that the government acquired the land in clear violation of Land Acquisition Act, 1894, adding: “Lahore and Sheikhupura failed to abide by the law in the land acquisition”.
LHC highlighted that since Ravi urban project’s master plan is the basic document, all the schemes should be execuated under the master plan as per the law.
“Hence, any scheme worked upon without [being included in] the master plan is illegal,” the court said.
The court has ordered the Authority to return the money it had received from the government within two months to acquire land for the project.
Ravi Riverfront Urban Development project The Ravi Urban Development Authority was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in August 2020.
