ISLAMABAD: Five faculty members of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) on Monday challenged the dismissal of their petition against construction of the Bhara Kahu bypass on the university’s land.

IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb on Dec 12 dismissed the petitions. The appellants filed an intra-court appeal against the order through Kashif Ali Malik Advocate.

It stated that the appellants are “Doctors of philosophy in their respective disciplines at the QAU and as concerned citizens had challenged the constitutionality and legality of the project named as second phase of Margalla Road i.e. 08 km long Bhara Kahu bypass from Murree Road, passing through the university to Satra Meel as proposed and initiated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), by illegally carving out a new alignment for Margalla road in sheer violation of the Master Plan of Islamabad.”

It said the CDA, being proponent of the project, was bound to get an environment impact assessment (EIA) done under Section 12 of Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997 before commencing the construction. However, admittedly, work on the project had commenced without obtaining an EIA from Pakistan Environment Protection Agency.

This was done despite the fact that in an earlier petition regarding construction of package 1 of the Margalla Road, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had directed the respondents to proceed in accordance with law and comply with the environmental laws before undertaking such a construction activity, it added.

The appeal said the land in question belonged to future generations and included various projects as part of the university’s future expansion programme, especially the CPEC Research Centre on Earth Science.

The syndicate of QAU at its 174th meeting held on May 30, 2019, resolved to approve the allocation of 50 acres for establishment of the CPEC Research Centre on Earth Sciences at QAU subject to modalities to be worked out by the HEC, QAU and the Chinese Academy of Sciences which will be approved by the syndicate, the petition added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sept 30 laid the foundation of the Bhara Kahu bypass and directed the National Logistics Cell (NLC) to complete the project in three months.

The five-km-long road (including a one-km flyover) will start from Murree Road near the QAU stop and culminate on Murree Road near the Jugi bus stop adjacent to Punjab Cash and Carry from where a flyover will begin which will end outside Bhara Kahu bazaar towards Murree.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022