Ravi Riverfront Project: LHC Scraps Govt’s Celebrated Project

By Web Desk — Lahore High Court has declared several provisions of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) Act 2020 unconstitutional, effectively scrapping the much-celebrated Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project.

Justice Shahid Karim, in a reserved judgment on multiple petitions, also declared the acquisition of agricultural land for the project unconstitutional and a violation of citizens’ rights.

The judge read the operative part of the judgment, which is yet to be released, and ruled that Section 4 of the Ruda Act 2020 violates Article 140-A of the Constitution.

Additionally, Ravi Urban Development Authority was ordered to return a loan of Rs5 billion to the Punjab government within two months and ruled that it had failed to comply with the law and initiated the project without a master plan.

According to Justice Karim, the Ruda (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 does not also address legal infirmities. According to the judge, the notification issued under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act 1894 had not been released in accordance with the law. According to the judge, the land collectors failed to acquire the land legally for the project.

PDM Postpones No-Confidence Motion

Several farmers, landowners, and developers filed petitions through lawyers Sheraz Zaka, Ahmad Rafay Alam, Azhar Siddique, Waqar A. Sheikh, and others.

The Punjab advocate general threw light on the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project details while opposing the petitions, saying the project was of public importance and the court lacked jurisdiction to interfere in government policy.

Lawyer Amina Qadir, who was appointed as amicus curiae, told the court that the project was not for public welfare. Considering the public trust doctrine, the government had not been able to justify the scheme since Punjab would lose its fertile plains.

During the hearings of the case, the Ravi Riverfront Project (RRP) Location was also discussed with a special focus on the impact of the massive RRP urban development project on the ecosystem.