LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif on Friday blamed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf for the 22-month delay caused in the construction of the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project.

The chief minister was speaking to media in Lahore, shortly after the Supreme Court?s orders which cleared the way for completion of Orange Line Metro without any delay.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed the decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC) halting work on selected sites of the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project.

"The PTI had submitted an application to the Supreme Court. Then, as hidden enemies strike, they did the same in the Lahore High Court. The revenge they have taken is not from me. They have taken revenge from the poor people of the city."

The chief minister added that the project was to be inaugurated on Dec 25 according to the original plan. 

"But PTI and Imran Khan Niazi's team delayed the project for 22-months." 

He elaborated that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had a stay order for 14 months and the apex court announced its verdict eight months later.

Shehbaz added that the PTI did not want the people to benefit from an efficient and cheap mass transit system. 

The apex court accepted the appeal of the Punjab government and others against the LHC decision with conditions and ruled by a 4-1 judgment that it observed no illegalities in the multi-billion rupee project.

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, had reserved its verdict in the case on April 17 this year.

Although the apex court has allowed the Punjab government to go ahead with the project at the same speed, the bench has set 31 conditions to ensure the project's transparency. 

The conditions include strict monitoring of the construction as well as a dedicated trial period before train operations begin; placement of high-tech devices and hiring of expert monitors to ensure vibrations from the construction don't damage the heritage sites and various measures for the beautification and restoration of the sites.

The apex court has also ordered the formation of a five-member experts' committee and three-member technical committee to oversee the project and ensure the protection of the heritage site under question.

A Rs100 million fund will also be established by the government to maintain the heritage sites, according to the court order.