LAHORE: The noise and vibration levels on various stretches of the Orange Line Metro Train route were recorded on the higher side on Wednesday.

“No activity is going on as construction work has been completed. A track for the train has also been laid. But the reading on meters indicates that the level of vibration and noise is high. During a visit, the vibration reading was at 0.4mm/sec while noise was 75.7db,” states a press release issued by the committee constituted by the Supreme Court to supervise construction of the project, especially in context with construction work within 200-foot-radius of heritage sites.

“The noise level is on the higher side notwithstanding the fact that Orange Line Metro Train service has not yet commenced,” the statement adds, quoting the committee experts as observing during their visit to the project sites near Mauj Dariya shrine and Lakshmi Building.

The experts who visited the sites included Hammadul Hassan (project director), Muhammad Asad (deputy director), Naeem Iqbal (project director, archaeology) and Akbar Abbas (secretary to the chairman of the committee).

The committee members said they had been assured by the officials during their last visit to the Mauj Dariya shrine and mosque that construction of the retaining wall would be commenced on Sept 15, but it hasn’t yet. However, the officials during Wednesday’s visit explained to the committee members that PC-I for the wall had been submitted to the authorities concerned, but was yet to be approved.

“Sprinkling of water has also been carried out in the precincts of the shrine, which has controlled the dust. Heaps of surplus material and debris, which were noticed during the last visit, have been removed. However, building material of the mosque… is lying there as the mosque is under construction and its steel work is in progress. But the construction area has been cordoned off…,” the press release quoted experts as having observed.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2018