ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday extended its stay order against the construction of Bhara Kahu bypass project on a piece of land owned by the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU).

A single bench of Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the petition of five faculty members of QAU seeking to restrain the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from constructing a segment of bypass project on the university’s land.

The court was informed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given approval for this project after the CDA paid the fine amount imposed by the agency. Later, the court extended the stay order directing both parties to complete their arguments on the next hearing and deferred the hearing till December 2.

The petitioners contended before the court that the new alignment of the bypass would divide the university campus and the road would become a de facto border between its two sides. They pointed out that the project was started without the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid the foundation stone of the Bhara Kahu bypass on September 30 and had directed the National Logistics Cell (NLC) to complete the project in three months. The five-kilometre road, including one-kilometre flyover, will start from Murree Road near the QAU stop and culminate on the same road near the Jugi bus stop adjacent to the Punjab Cash and Carry, from where the flyover will start and then end outside the Bhara Kahu Bazaar towards Murree.

In this matter, the petitioners, Dr Azizur Rehman, Ilhan Niaz, Aqeel Bukhari, and associate professors, Asif Ali and Amir Ali filed the petition through their counsel Kashif Ali Malik.

The counsel said that the bypass was being constructed in close proximity to the residential colony of the university and the construction of a road passing through the university will also expose the students, faculty and staff to security risks. Counsel for CDA Nazir Jawad told the court that the civic agency planned the project on 199 kanals of the university land and transferred 225 kanals in the university’s name. He said the land allotted to the CDA was free from any encroachment and its possession had also been handed over to the management. It may be mentioned that the supreme decision-making body of the university, the syndicate, had approved the conditional land swap deal with the CDA for the Bhara Kahu bypass project, as nine out of 12 syndicate members backed the agreement with the civic body.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022