LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority has decided to acquire ‘trouble-free’ land of six villages for its housing scheme LDA City in order to avoid litigation in future.

The decision will extend the proposed area of the scheme from 45,000 to 61,000 kanals, according to senior LDA officials.

The LDA City is claimed to be the biggest housing project of the government being developed on Ferozepur Road linking Defence Road. A stretch of the under-construction Lahore Ring Road’s southern loop is also passing through the scheme to link Multan Road and Motorway (M-2).

Officials say the LDA’s governing body has also approved acquiring the entire land of the villages, including Kahna Kacha, Thay Panju, Sidhar, Halloki, Rakh Jhedu and Toor Warriach in a recent meeting presided over by Vice-Chairman Khwaja Ahmad Hassan.

LDA City will be set up on 61,000 kanals

“Since the governing body was told that the previously proposed land area of the scheme will increase from 45,000 to 61,000 kanals due to acquisition of villages, it raised no objection and gave the go-ahead,” LDA Director-General Ahad Khan Cheema told Dawn.

He said the decision was taken after the LDA came to know that in various villages (in the proposed area) the land was owned by several owners. Since such type of ownership might cause litigation with the government as well as those, who would buy plots in future, it was decided to buy whole land that must be free from litigation or dispute, the DG added.

He said the LDA had acquired 5,000 kanals and the process was on. About the slow land acquisition process, he said it was due to strict checking of land ownership documents.

“According to standard operating procedures for acquiring land, the proposed land will be bought and transferred in the name of LDA before starting development work,” he said, adding the land acquisition would be on a fast track soon.

About Avenue-1 scheme on Raiwind Road, Mr Cheema said the LDA had started giving possession of the 70 per cent of the cleared area to owners. The process had almost completed in scheme’s C-block and the work would begin in D-block by next week. He said a meeting to review pace of work on the LDA City was held at the authority’s Johar Town Complex on Saturday.

The participants sought quick land acquisition in the villages -- Kahna Kacha, Thay Panju, Sidhar, Halloki, Rakh Jhedu and Toor Warriach. The participants, he said, learnt that in lieu of the land acquired, the LDA had already started issuance of exemption letters to buyers of plots in the scheme who purchased files from approved development partners.“In order to safeguard the rights of buyers of plots in the scheme, the exemption letters are being issued on special security featured papers prepared by the LDA,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2014