LAHORE: On behalf of the Punjab government the Lahore High Court was told on Tuesday that the project of setting up a coal fired power plant near Bumbanwala Ravi Badian (BRB) Canal had been shelved.
The bench of Justice Shahid Karim is hearing a number of petitions filed by individuals and Lahore Press Club to challenge construction of the coal based power plant on the said site inter alia on the ground that the project was based on worn out and discarded technology and filled with health and environmental hazards.
When asked by the bench, Additional Advocate General Shan Gull said the project at the said location had been abandoned and a notification to this effect would be issued soon. The court asked the government to thoroughly look into merits and demerits before initiating any project so that public money did not go waste.
Lead counsel of the petitioners, Advocate Azhar Siddique told the bench that the Punjab government intended to acquire the land 1188 kanal and 5 marla land in Moza Khaira and Sultan Pura to establish Small Coal Power Project.
He said the coal power project had been abandoned across the world on premise that they were based on technology which was not suitable to the human life.–Staff Reporter
He pointed out that the government established a company “Punjab Power Development Limited” having aims to develop power projects with public private partnership and to arrange funding through loan negotiation and joint venture and others. This he added, had to be another burden of loans obtained on hazardous project.
He said the land proposed to be acquired was located within the newly declared residential area and close to Lahore Press Club Housing Society where the residents had to also suffer along with lakhs others living in the areas. He said internationally installation of coal fired power plants have been disallowed within a residential area in a country. He argued that the recent heat in Karachi that claimed over lives of over thousands people was due to coal power plant working in Rajhistan (India).
He said the government’s act was directly violation of Articles 9, 14, 38 of the Constitution and court was bound to implement the fundamental rights.
After statement from the government the court disposed of the petitions.