LAHORE: Two experts of the United Nations urged the government on Friday to halt construction work of the Orange Line Metro Train, which, according to them, has threatened a large number of protected heritage sites and historical buildings, besides resulting in evictions.

“Scores of residents in the project area have been forced to vacate their homes and businesses with little to no notice, receiving in some cases only verbal information within days of demolition,” a press release issued to the Pakistani media from Geneva quoted the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, and UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Karima Bennoune as having said.

The press release quoted Ms Farha as expressing concern about the lack of resettlement and compensation schemes for the people who will lose their homes as construction of the line advances, especially since many in the affected area live well below the poverty line.

“Many of the residents simply do not have the means to find alternative housing. This project is creating homelessness amongst an already vulnerable population,” she warned.

“The project passes through the historic center of Lahore, threatening pre-Partition buildings, minority places of worship, historic tombs and shrines and great gardens, many of which are registered protected heritage sites,” said Karima Bennoune.

“These are of importance not only to local people and the entire cultural landscape of Lahore but are of national significance for the history and cultural heritage of Pakistan.

“These historic neighbourhoods form an organic, living heritage with the people who inhabit them. The project will not only destroy physical sites but the ways of life that have developed there, that people cherish and through which they express their dignity and identity,” Ms Bennoune says.

The UN human rights experts also drew attention to the lack of information concerning the project and the fact that the route of the Orange Line has reportedly changed several times since the initial public hearing in July 2015. Many have contested the project and its procedural flaws, and some cases presented before the court of appeal are still pending decision.

The details about the tendering projects, financing and costs, structural details, design, route and environmental impact have not been shared with the citizens, who have been protesting against the project since the beginning of construction work, the special rapporteurs said.

For the independent experts, it is also unclear why alternative options, which would be less damaging, would result in less displacement and which would include strict measures to protect heritage, community and the environment, were not considered.

“The Pakistani authorities must take all necessary steps to secure the right to an adequate standard of living including housing and cultural rights as defined in international human rights laws and standards recognized by the country, and to halt all ongoing demolition and construction works that do not meet these standards,” they said.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2016