ISLAMABAD: The possible harm to the green character of Islamabad as a result of the ambitious Rs38 billion metro bus service project caught the attention of the Supreme Court on Friday.

On a suo motu, Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani summoned detailed reports from the chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CAD), Maroof Afzal, and Commissioner Rawalpindi and director of the project Zahid Saeed with a direction to allay the fears by explaining whether the project would pose threats to the Islamabad Master Plan and the greenbelts of the city or not.

The notice was taken on an application submitted by PML-Q secretary general Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed.

The PML-Q leader stated that though he strongly supported the dire need for a mass transit system in Islamabad, he was worried about the impact of such a project on the natural beauty and environment of the federal capital.

The senator also annexed the details of the proposed Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus Service Project along with reports published in different newspapers highlighting the threats to the greenbelts.

The reports stated that scores of young and old trees, especially pine trees, may be uprooted to establish a separate track for the metro bus.

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Thursday also directed the CDA to get an environment impact assessment (EIA) report before proceeding further in the metro bus service project.

The apex court ordered the CDA chairman and the commissioner Rawalpindi to inform the court whether the EIA had been carried out with regard to the project or not.

Moreover, the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the Punjab Environment Protection Agency and the Climate Change Division will also submit their technical reports and assessment about the project to the court when the case will be taken up on March 18.