The Ravi Urban Development Authority (“RUDA”) has been established by the Ravi Urban Development Act, 2020 to implement a multi-trillion Rupee River Ravi Urban Development Project along the banks and floodplain of the River Ravi at Lahore. The RUDA project is an urban development project for which environmental approval of the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency is required under the Punjab Environmental Protection Act, 1997 and the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Review of initial environmental examinations and environmental impact assessments) Regulations 2000. Being a project that will have irreparable adverse environmental impact on the natural environment, including the destruction of rich farmland and loss of livelihoods for the farming community in the area, it is imperative that proper environmental approvals be obtained.
PILAP has filed a Writ Petition before the Lahore High Court against the Punjab Environmental Protection Authority and the Ravi Urban Development Authority, as well as the consultant company hired to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment for the project. The Writ Petition is against approval of the environment assessments which have not been obtained in accordance with the law. The Honourable High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the Punjab EPA from granting environmental approvals for the project.
