LAHORE: The Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) administration on Tuesday again locked offices after the Lord Mayor reached there to perform duty following release of a detailed judgment of March 25 order by the apex court regarding restoration of the local institutions across Punjab.

However, Mayor retired Col Mubashir Javed conducted his office in a veranda of Town Hall and assigned the deputy mayors with the task to visit sacrificial animals’ sale points / markets in the city and ensure implementation of the Covid-19 SOPs by animal buyers and sellers, staff etc.

The mayor, deputy mayors Mian Muhammad Tariq and Muhammad Mushtaq Mughal and 50 members of the district assembly criticised the PTI-led Punjab government for continuously flouting the March 25 order of the Supreme Court bench headed by the chief justice and the July 5 detailed judgment on restoration of the LB institutions.

“Since the short order on our petitions on March 25, restoring the LB institutions by the apex court, they (the government) kept saying that till issuance of the detailed judgment, the mayors and others elected representatives cannot be given charge of their offices. And now, we have detailed judgment announced by the court on July 5. But you still are not implementing this,” he deplored while speaking to media on the occasion.

“It’s highhandedness and contempt of court and we will soon file it in the Lahore High Court for getting the SC’s detailed verdict implemented in letter and spirit,” he added.

Later, he spoke to Dawn and castigated the Lahore commissioner for continuing to perform duties as the MCL administrator and avoiding handing over the charge to him despite clear-cut orders of the apex court.

“The MCL staff locked the offices of the Mayor and others concerned before we reached there. Even mayor’s PSO Mian Waheed fled after locking his own office. Why you (the government) are afraid? Why you are not allowing us to do our duty in the light of court orders and the Constitution of Pakistan?”

“Hope you will be taken to task soon as we are filing an urgent petition at the Lahore High Court which under article 190 of the constitution is empowered to get the apex court orders implemented,” he warned.

The chief secretary and the commissioner were not available for comments. However, an official source in the divisional administration said giving charge to the elected representatives and mayors was not the job of commissioner office but the provincial government.

“When the government will decide to hand over the charge, the commissioner (being MCL administrator) will immediately relinquish the charge,” he claimed.

PHA: The Parks and Horticulture Authority has decided to plant 500,000 saplings of the local tree species in the monsoon season under the Clean and Green Lahore campaign.

“According to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision, PHA is building a huge Miyawaki forest spreading over 100 kanal in the city. On the occasion of Independence Day on Aug 14, PHA will distribute 50,000 saplings free of cost to the citizens under monsoon tree planting,” PHA Director General Jawad Qureshi said while presiding over a meeting held here on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2021