ISLAMABAD, Dec 31 The Supreme Court was told Thursday that the cause for its action against planned felling of thousands of trees to supply natural gas to Murree, especially a newly-built bungalow of Punjab chief minister's son Hamza Shahbaz at Donga Gali, stood nullified after scrapping of the project by the provincial government.

The two-judge bench of Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, which had taken suo motu notice ordered the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) to submit a detail report and adjourned the hearing till January 11.

Assistant Advocate General Punjab Khadim Hussain Qaiser presented a report compiled by Punjab Environment Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiana, requesting the bench to dispose of the matter since the cause of action had ceased to exist after the provincial government finally decided not to allow cutting of even a single tree.

Murree Town Nazim Sardar Saleem was also present in the courtroom.

Former President Pervez Musharraf on August 26, 2006, had announced provision of gas to rural areas and Galyat of Murree at a cost of Rs3.5 billion. Later, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) allocated the required funds to lay pipelines after approving the project in June 2007.

The federal and provincial governments transferred Rs1.5 billion to the SNGPL, which after surveying the area prepared a map for laying the pipelines. But the Election Commission of Pakistan slapped a ban on launching new development projects before the February 2008 general elections after the then government was dissolved.

However, the new government suspended the Murree gas supply project by diverting the funds for gas supply schemes in Kalar Syedan, Taxila and Rawat, the constituency of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, and Gujar Khan, the constituency of Raja Pervez Ashraf.

Meanwhile, in July this year, MNA Hamza Shahbaz built a bungalow at Donga Gali, while the Punjab government revived the gas project to ensure supply to the bungalow, asking the SNGPL to conduct another survey for the supply of gas to Donga Gali.

Consequently, the Punjab government modified the project for rural areas of Murree only to provide connection to the newly-built bungalow by denying gas supply to 26 villages of Murree.

In his report submitted before the apex court here on Thursday, the Punjab secretary stated the SNGPL Lahore had approached the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Punjab, seeking environmental approval for developing 11 feet wide strip of land as Right of Way from Lower Topa to Ratti Gali traversing through valleys and about 2,436 small and big trees were coming in the way.

It said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has already declined to approve a summary moved by the Punjab forestry, wildlife and fisheries department to fell scores of trees subject to payment of compensation value and replenishment cost.