SC orders Punjab govt to resume Orange Line Metro Train project

The Supreme Court (SC) ordered on Friday the Punjab government to resume construction work on Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project.

This order was given by a five-member bench of the SC, headed by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan. Justices Ejaz Afzal Khan, Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Maqbool Baqar and Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel were also part of the bench.

The court ordered the Punjab government to resume the work and finish the project in its planned date, local media reported. It also directed the government to form two technical committees within 30 days to administer the project construction.

The Lahore High Court had halted the work on the mega project in August 2016 due to the development of the project trampling heritage sites in Lahore. The Punjab government had filed an application to the SC to resume work on OLMT, as it was funded by a Chinese bank and if not completed, the government would then have to incur losses in the shape of cost escalation.