“It is a historic verdict which will go a long way in curbing catastrophic developmental projects in future” general secretary of Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, Farooq Tariq said in a joint statement. He said that Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee has campaigned relentlessly along with the affectees of RUDA project and has highlighted environmental and social costs of RUDA project.
Farooq Tariq added that the government intended to grab the lands of local people on peanuts, which is clearly unconstitutional as observed by honorable judges of the high court. There is a proper mechanism if the govt wants to acquire agricultural lands but it was not followed as the mafias wanted to capture lands without proper compensation, added by Farooq Tariq.
Saima Zia of PKRC said that “the environmental consequences of RUDA would have been devastating for the local ecology and climate. This is evident from the fact that the EIA report of the RUDA project was done through an unregistered consultant.
Such gross violations related to the environment suggest that this government is absolutely negligent when it comes to the question of climate. There should have been a proper environmental impact assessment through qualified scientists but the government thought it could get away with it, added Ms Saima Zia.
Zaighum Abbas, the country program representative of APMDD– an organization working for climate, land rights and debt added that “while we still await the detailed judgment of the high court on the matter, it is nevertheless a welcoming decision.
Considering how developmental projects and large capital investments have systematically benefited the rich over poor in Pakistan, RUDA would not have been an exception to this, added by Mr Abbas.
He further said that instead of pursuing ecologically destructive projects, the government needs to give attention to the provision of affordable housing and healthcare to the people because inflation has taken these basic rights away from the people, He added.
Nasir Iqbal
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