LAHORE – Umaima Ahmed of The Nation talked to some of the affected people to get their views on the China-financed Orange Train
project and its effect on their lives.
She started at Maharaja Building on Edward Road where seventy families are living in the building given to them after they moved to Pakistan following Partition in 1947. In the initial years they paid rent for the place but later they were allotted the property when PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto ordered reallocation. Since then they have lived in this area and their generations have grown up here but they all will soon have to move.
Alam Shahana Javed, a widow living in the Maharaja Building on Edward Road. “The Orange Train
project will go over our dead bodies, if we are not given proper compensation for our houses that the government is taking away.”
Shakeel Ahmed, an Edward Road resident. “We have our original documents in which the property is in our name. The government said it’s an AUQAF property but they are not showing us the documents. They are also not paying us enough for the property and the building.
The ground floor house is being offered 3 million rupees, the price of the 1st floor is estimated 2 million and the top floor is not even worth mentioning leave aside the cost of the rubble.”
Mrs Imran Siddique, a house wife residing near Chuburgi. “This train has caused a holy mess in the area. We are living without gas, water and for hours without electricity. When we need to take a bath we have to go over to our relatives about 45 minutes away from here.
Cooking has become a torture for us as well. Everyday my house has to be cleaned about 2 times, dust sets in even before I put the broom and dust pan away.”
Shahid Miraj, Dean of St. Andrew Church Cathedral on Maclagan road. “On 31st December 2015, DCO Lahore had asked us to come for a meeting regarding the Orange Train. We were busy with our prayers and celebrations for New Year, due to which we could not attend the meeting. After that no one has approached us, but if they start any work without our permission we would not allow it.
We have heard the train will pass near the church and we are concerned about the maintenance of the building. This church was built over a century ago and since then great effort has been put in to maintain it.”
The Institute for Disadvantaged Children, corner of Jain Mandir on Lytton Road.
Parents of children studying there are concerned about the future of their children being from the lower class of society do not have enough resources to take their children to another institute. According to interviews with the parents, the Orange Train will leave the children without a place to receive care and recreation. “The government said they would be allotting another place to the institute but who knows when they do it and what will happen to our children?
Shahid Ali, a shop owner opposite the Shalimar Gardens facing the destruction of his premises. “They have pulled down our shops without giving us adequate time to move out. We were given a notice of three days, after which they did not ask us if we have found a place or not. We don’t have any place to keep our shop material.
There were homes on top of our shops but they had to be vacated too. We have no idea where they have moved too, but they were very upset as they had been living here for over 20 years.” He further said, “They have not flattened the corporate office from where the orange train will start, but have broken our shops.”
The University of Punjab, the Orange Train will be taking part of the land of the University Town Housing Society, for which the permanent staff of the University contribute to get a plot allotted to them over the years. The government is taking some land of the society which is earmarked for teachers. The newly constructed home of the registratar will be demolished as it is in the path of the train.
A teacher of PU told The nation, “Khawaja Hassam had assured us that no part of the University would be taken into the route of Orange train. But now the government has sent us a notice and said the plan cannot be changed. In case they do not stop, we will be protesting in front of the Chinese Consulate and Punjab Assembly (for our rights).”
Orange Train has given the laborers a fixed income for some time. They would be working on the
project for the next 27 months. Different companies that are part of the Orange Train
project have hired them for 18,000/- rupees a month. They are provided with a place to stay at Thokar Niaz Beg, food is delivered to them at site and get a pick and drop daily. Muhammad Saleem spoke to The Nation and said, “We are satisfied with the payment that is given to us. Our family is living back in the village, so we don’t really have to pay for anything. They are giving us food and a place to stay. We work here on shifts. Every day the manager comes to check the work we have done. We are working hard day and night.”
Not only the affected people are vocal about the way the
project has taken their livelihood and homes away from them, many others concerned citizens also spoke to the Nation and expressed their reservations on the
project .
Mariam Hussain, assistant professor of National College of Arts. “All the Orange Train claims that you are seeing are nothing but a stack of lies. The Government has appointed its own people at the required posts to approve this
project otherwise no sane person would say yes to this living horror.
This
project is not even sparing the disabled and mentally challenged people. The people who are being affected on its route are not given enough time to even look for a place. The government is just throwing them out of their homes.”
Rafay Alam, environmentalist. “This
project is very ambiguous, no one is clear about it. The orange line is crossing all the heritage sites, which in the long run will have a negative impact on structure and foundations. The government is not disclosing the full plan. Even UNESCO is not giving approval for the
project , which violates the international standards and treaties that are signed for preserving heritage sites.
If only they had used the money that they are using on constructing the bridge on Jail road it could have saved us from a lot of destruction.”
Prof Ajaz Anwar, information secretary of the Lahore Conservation Society. “Even though we need to get our transport system in order, but this Orange Train
Project is not scientifically sound. Everywhere in the world the trains are going underground not hanging in mid-air. For a country like Pakistan this outrageously expensive
project is being laid out of our taxes.
This is an election campaign which needs to be rejected. It would not only cause devastation to historic places but also give an ugly look to the city! We have grown up in this city; our attachments with this place are unexplainable. We are the custodians of these places, if we don’t look after them how will we tell our future generations about the rich history this land holds!.”
Kamil Khan Mumtaz, heritage pioneer. “Transport system of Lahore definitively needs to be improved but it does not mean that Lahore should be uprooted totally.
Buses should be purchased for the roads – this would help economy and save a lot of damage that is being caused to the city.”
Anonymous, civil society activist. “This
project is nothing but a destruction of Lahore city. We can’t afford to lose our rich and expensive heritage for this stupid orange line. They are putting in so much of money but the output would be zero.”
They have no idea how many homes and businesses they are destroying. The results of this
project will not be seen only in the next 2 years but 20 to 25 years down the lane.”
