Editor
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued its detailed verdict within the Margalla Hills restaurant case directing the authorities to demolish the eateries that are to be taken over by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board.
The 25-page order written by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa says: “On 11 September 2024, the Wildlife Board will take over the possession of the stated eating places with the total help of CDA and the Islamabad Capital Territory Police, and the entrances to stated space shall be barricaded.”
The detailed verdict follows the court docket’s June 11 ruling whereby it had directed the closure of Monal Restaurant together with different eateries situated within the Margalla Hills National Park (MHPN).
The order of the three-member bench, comprising the CJP, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, got here in response to in response to a March 11 court docket order wherein it had sought the whole report of the land possession of the restaurant.
The court docket had then additionally directed all different eating places within the National Park together with Monal to relocate inside the three-month interval.
In its remarks, the SC stated that its intention is to make sure the safety of the National Park. It added that aside from National Park, the pointless notices issued to all different eating places are terminated.
Stressing that it was solely specializing in the National Park, the court docket stated: “All the leases granted to eating places situated in National Park are declared null and void.”
In his detailed judgement at present which upheld the Islamabad High Court’s then-judge Athar Minallah’s ruling, CJP Isa stated that the eating places had been to be demolished with minimal disturbance to the wildlife and by avoiding injury to the bushes of the National Park.
The high court docket’s order additionally states that the Wildlife Board will decide how finest to utilise the mountain ridge the place the eateries had been situated and it could seek the advice of consultants and environmentalists to look at whether or not the foundations of the stated buildings must also be eliminated or the identical be left in and used to make a synthetic lake to gather rainwater which can be utilized to place out fires that erupt within the National Park.
“Under no circumstances ought to the constructing be left deserted/derelict nor go away any particles on the stated web site. Every effort must be made to make sure that the stated land once more turns into an integral a part of the National Park,” stated the decision.
Furthermore, directing the defence secretary to make sure the enforcement of present legal guidelines, the SC has additionally ordered the CDA chairman to supply steering to the ministry on this regard.
Additionally, the Ministry of Climate Change secretary and Environmental Protection director normal have been ordered to conduct a survey of buildings within the space.
The order additionally requires an evaluation of environmental injury and measures which are essential to stop additional environmental degradation.
