LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday declared procurement of land under section iv as unlawful in its decision on petitions against Ravi River Urban Project, ARY News reported.
The high court bench ruled that the schemes without master plan are unlawful and declared the section iv notification as void.
“Agriculture lands can be procured under a legal procedure,” the bench ruled and declared the Amended ordinance against Article 120 of the constitution.
The environmental laws have been ignored in the Ravi River Urban Project, court said.
“The loans for the project have been borrowed illegally,” the bench said.
The court also ordered setting environmental standards for the project.
In November last year LHC had declared petitions against Ravi River Urban Project as admissible after the initial hearing.
Read more: LHC seeks govt’s reply in Ravi River Urban Project
LHC Judge Justice Shah Karim heard the pleas of Sheeraz Zaka advocate and others against the Ravi River project.
During the hearing, the judge turned down the plea of the Punjab government seeking rejection of petitions against the project.
In September last year, PM Imran Khan had laid the foundation stone of Ravi Riverfront Urban Development project.
It is an urban development project in Lahore that runs along the Ravi River in a northeast to southwest direction.
It includes the construction of a 40,000-hectare (100,000-acre) planned city and the rehabilitation of the Ravi River into a perennial freshwater body.
