RAWALPINDI, Nov 12: A row between the project management unit (PMU) of the Rawalpindi Development Authority and building owners over acquisition of land for the under-construction Gawalmandi bridge may further delay the project, Dawn has learnt.

The owners of three double-storey buildings at the Auto Square, Gawalmandi, have refused to vacate the buildings without receiving compensations while the PMU officials have decided to demolish the buildings.

The officials maintain that under the cantonment bylaws, the government is entitled to raze any building and acquire land in the cantonment area without paying compensations to the affected people.

They say that the cantonment had given the land to the people on a 99-year lease. They say that the land in the Auto Square was also on lease and the government could take it back anytime.

The PMU officials have notified the owners through the police to vacate the buildings as they could be demolished anytime without further notification.

Chaudhry Qaisar Nisar, one of the owners, told Dawn on Monday that the cantonment bylaws allowed the government to acquire land without compensation only for defence purposes and not for any development project. He said the Gawalmandi bridge, which was part of the Rs4,136 million Asian Development Bank-funded urban water supply and sanitation project, was a public welfare scheme.

He said their case fell under the land acquisition act under which the officials were obliged to compensate the owners according to current market rates, which was Rs5 million per shop.

He said the owners had held a meeting with the PMU officials in which the officials had told them that they had also been served notices by the court. However, the PMU officials failed to provide them copies of the notices, he added.

When contacted, PMU chief engineer Col Aksar Khan (retired) told Dawn that the court had served notices on the owners one year ago, but they were still reluctant to vacate the buildings.

He said the land belonged to the cantonment and would be vacated as soon as possible in order to complete the project. The affectees would not be paid any compensations, he said.