ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Wednesday summoned the executive officer of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) since its counsel could not justify closing the Hospital Road to establish the Food Street amid Covid-19 lockdown.

LHC Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf last week admitted the petition against the establishment of Food Street and has issued notices to the executive officer of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board and Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rawalpindi.

Counsel for the petitioner advocate Kashif Ali Malik pointed out that converting a section of Hospital Road into a food street, is purely a commercial activity.

He argued that the referred section of Hospital road leading from the Haider Road to the Bank Road intersection remained blocked for general public and vehicular movement during the peak hours of the evening causing grave hardship and inconvenience to all the inhabitants of the area, people visiting Cantonment Hospital as well as the commuters who visit or pass through the area.

Furthermore, at a time when the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the entire world the respondents instead of facilitating access to the hospital, have instead blocked a section of hospital road which leads to Cantonment General Hospital and other areas during the peak hours of the evening causing great inconvenience not only to the emergency and rescue services but also those visiting cantonment hospital, he added.

RCB’s counsel Sheikh Waqar told the court that the Hospital Road has been opened. He said that section 192 of the Cantonment Act empowered the board to open or close any road or street.

Advocate Malik on the other hand pointed out that the section allows the authority to close the road for maintenance purposes only.

LHC Justice Rauf then summoned the RCB executive officer and adjourned hearing till next week.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2021