LAHORE: A division bench of Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought record from Punjab Mass Transit Authority, Lahore Development Authority and others in petitions challenging construction of Orange Line Project till April 27. Petitioners’ counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique said that the project started without proper planning and it was damaging the city and cultural heritage. He also submitted that the Punjab chief minister preferred roads instead of meeting basic requirements including health, as beds were not available in hospitals at the time of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park tragedy. He said that the government was utilising funds allocated for other sectors like education and health for the project of metro train. He said that the project has put heritage of the Lahore city on stake as 26 historical and protected monuments including Shamilar Garden, General Post Office, Supreme Court-Lahore registry, Lahore High Court and Chauburji were going to lose their significance. The counsel submitted that even the issuance of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report in favour of the LDA in July 2016 was illegal and without jurisdiction as the LDA officially became executing agency on August 25, as per the government documents. He said that no tendering process took place for appointing Nespak as consultant and contract had been awarded to CR-NORINCO, a Chinese company, in violation of merit and without providing a level playing field. The federal and Punjab governments’ counsel said that OMT was properly planned for public welfare, adding that the people were paid compensation and there was no threat to historical sites. They also said that a stay was issued by the LHC, which was damaging this public welfare project and its cost would increase. The counsels were on their feet when the bench deferred the hearing. A division bench on January 28 on a petition, moved on behalf of civil society members, had stayed construction of Orange Line Metro Train project within 200 feet of 11 historical sites.