LAHORE, Sept 9: The Punjab government has reportedly denotified land acquisition for Bahria Town in Lahore because of what sources said instructions from Islamabad.
A notification to this effect has been issued by the Lahore DO for revenue, according to reliable sources.
The Punjab government had reportedly notified procurement of land for three housing projects, including the Bahria Town, under Section-4 of the Land Acquisition Act-1894 sometime ago.
Under this law, the government can acquire private land for projects of public interest like expansion of roads by paying the average price mentioned in its revenue record of the past one year. But it is believed that land is always undervalued in such cases.
Sources said acquisition of land by Bahria Town had been denotified with the realization in the highest quarters that the earlier permission was not in public interest. It was felt that it amounted to injustice with people whose land was to be acquired for a "commercial project" rather than in "public interest", official sources claimed.
They said the government had notified acquisition of land by Bahria Town at different places in the city on Aug 18. According to the notification the government had shown its intent to acquire 1,421 kanals in Mauza Maraka, 5,514 kanals in Mauza Bhalai Gill and 1,378 kanals in Juliana for Bahria Town. Around 165 kanals were defined as "common land" and the rest owned by people, the sources claimed.
The builder was allowed to enter the private land which it intended to purchase, survey it and collect its ownership data so that the government could acquire it under the Land Acquisition Act, they claimed. Other sources in the Lahore Development Authority alleged that the housing scheme was being planned in the jurisdiction of the authority without its permission.
