SC Stays Lahore High Court Order Against Ravi Riverfront Project

Recently, the Supreme Court suspended the Jan 25 Lahore High Court (LHC) order, which declared several provisions of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) Act illegal. This ruling forced allied agencies from undertaking any work on the ground beyond the acquired land, possession taken, and compensation paid. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies have been restrained from proceeding on the case. In addition, the involved parties have been required to submit additional support documents.

The Supreme Court claims that the issue requires deeper legal and constitutional consideration and investigation before concluding. The directions came after the Punjab government filed a petition against the court order that claimed the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project illegal. The court order claimed that the loans taken by RUDA did not comply with the provisions of the Local authorities Act of 1914, and thus the amount be reimbursed to the Punjab government within two months of the judgement.

The incumbent government claims that the Ravi Urban Development Project is a step in the right direction. It will help create a new, planned city on the model of Islamabad. The government claims that 95% of the land under the project was acquired through proper means, and the respective landowners compensated. Moreover, the forest department also issued a report to the federal government claiming that no forest land was encroached upon for the project and thus has not transgressed its demarcated boundaries. These factors increase the overall legal strength of the case and promise a holistic development of the region.