Orange Line

The Lahore High Court, releasing a short order after protests against the Orange Line project in Lahore made headlines on Wednesday, halted any work within 200 feet of a heritage site. Affectees of the project in Samanabad had taken to the streets in protest against the threat to their homes. The protestors were reported to have targeted some of the heavy machinery brought in for the project. According to reports, the main demand was the non-payment of compensation for demolishing homes and shops to make room for the Orange Line train service. The crowd also performed a symbolic funeral of the project. This week a senior citizen was crushed by a crane that was being used in the construction work going on for the project. Already, six workers have died working on the project, raising serious concerns over the health and safety precautions taken by authorities. Criticism of the Rs200 billion Orange Line project has become more vocal as the project has continued. The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing has also asked the Punjab government to halt the project, citing the evictions and the threat to heritage sites. The Punjab government had rejected the UN report, only to face protests a day later. The project had earlier been criticised by the ‘Rasta Badlo’ campaign - especially on the proposed construction near the Chowburgi Chowk and the acquisition of part of the General Post Office (GPO). These protests have now been joined by residents who find their homes and livelihoods threatened.

While no one disagrees with the need for a modern transport system for the city of Lahore, there are serious questions being asked over whether the haphazard approach taken by the Punjab government is the best solution. Two years ago, the Punjab government decided that the best way to solve the transport issues in the city was to build a bus network – the Metro Bus – with Turkish help. Two years later, it seems to have ditched the bus for the train – with Chinese involvement this time. In the hearing of a case against the project in the Lahore High Court, Supreme Court Bar Association President Ali Zafar argued that the project poses a threat to the basic structure of the city. The protests show that the PML-N’s development model may finally be under question in Lahore. The real problem lies in the government ignoring all warnings and failing to take citizens on board over what kind of transport solution they would support. To give it a sacred status it was added to the list of CPEC projects. Threatening heritage sites and the homes of thousands of people when less destructive alternates could have been proposed was always likely to be met with protests. The Punjab government would do well to listen to the protests, unless it wants the Orange Line to become another popular site of protest like the Metro Bus before it.