07 January 2005	Friday	25 Ziqa'ad 1425

LAHORE, Jan 6: Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Shaukat Mazari on Thursday kept pending an adjournment motion moved by PPP members - Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan and Samiullah Khan - regarding issuance of a notification for acquisition of 2,900 kanals near the Lahore Airport for a private real estate developer.

The movers called the action illegal, as the company owned only 650 kanals while it had sold out 2,900 kanals to the general public. Rana Aftab said according to rules the developers must possess 80 per cent land while the government was bound to acquire the rest (20 per cent) for completion of any housing project.

Revenue minister Gul Hameed Rokhri, while responding to the motion, said the district revenue officer on the orders of the Lahore High Court issued the notification for the acquisition of 2,187 kanals only. He said the matter was sub judice and could not be discussed in the house.

PPP-Patriot member Abdur Rashid Bhatti and PML's Malik Muhammad Ahmad stood up and said according to their information the developers had sold out 4,700 kanals. They said it was a big fraud with the public and the government should take notice of it.

Malik Ahmad said he was ready to move an application against the fraud and the government should register a case against owners of the company, as the housing society did not actually exist.

He said at least nine villages would be affected owing to the project by acquisition of their land on cheaper rates by the company. Mr Bhatti alleged that the developers had earned billions of rupees by selling out the land, which did not exist on ground.

Law minister Raja Basharat told the house that rules for housing societies had been framed. The notification would be issued in this regard with the approval of the chief minister within a couple of days, he added. He assured the house that no one would be allowed to acquire land from farmers forcibly.

BILLS: The government tabled two bills in the house and they were referred to the relevant committees for submitting reports within a couple of months. They were the King Edward Medical University Bill 2005 and the Punjab Civil Servants (amendment) Bill 2005.