ISLAMABAD: MNA Asad Umar on Wednesday alleged that politicians, lawyers, bureaucrats and journalists use the Land Acquisition Act to force people to sell their land.

Chairing a National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat subcommittee, Mr Umar said landowners suffered due to the law, and feared that the law would also be used this way towards residents of G-12 and F-12.

Under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act 1894, a publication is put forward by the appropriate government or district collector when land is needed, or is likely to be needed, for a public purpose. After this, the owner of the land has to sell to the government, administration or agency.

During the committee meeting, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Member Estate Khushal Khan said that according to the CDA’s land-sharing formula, affected people are compensated with a one kanal plot for four kanals of land.

“I suggest that if one plot of one kanal against three kanals of land is given to the affectees, the problem will be addressed, as people will be able to merge their land and get developed plots from the CDA,” he told committee members.

The CDA had acquired the land of sectors G-12 and F-12 in 1985, but landowners who were not satisfied with the price refused the payments and have continued constructing on the land in question.

However, Mr Umar, who is an elected representative of Islamabad residents, said he was against a law that forced people to hand their land over to the CDA.

“Even in the past, while the federal capital was being built, it was unjustified that the land was acquired from people and the city was developed. However, we should leave what happened in the past, and now it should be left up to the owners if they want to give the land to the CDA or not,” he said.

While discussing the issues facing E-12, which was also acquired in 1985 but has not been developed to date, the committee was informed that possession had been taken of the E-11/2 subsector but residents and affected people in the sector were not allowing development work to move forward because they were demanding more plots, in light of the fact that their children had families of their own and their requirements had changed.

At the same time, 4,090 allottees have been suffering for almost three decades.

MNA Malik Ibrar suggested that the CDA involve prominent elders of the area and convince them not to object to development work in the subsector.

“Meanwhile, the issue of affected people of the sector should be addressed, as they have also suffered a lot,” he said.

Nurseries in H-9 located on right-of-way

Discussing the issues surrounding over 50 nurseries in H-9, CDA Member Planning Asad Kayani said the nurseries were located on the right-of-way.

“Decades back, orchards were allotted to people to grow fruit, but they sublet some of the land to nurseries. Currently, the nurseries have been using some of the orchards’ lands, and the remaining land on which the nurseries are located is the right-of-way,” he said.

Mr Kayani suggested the nurseries be pushed into the orchards, as the CDA has been considering converting the road into dual carriageway.

One of the nursery owners, Mohammad Rafique, said the orchard owners have already filed a case to remove them, so they would not permit them to use more land. He instead asked for the nurseries to be provided separate land on a temporary basis.

Member Estate Khushal Khan assured the subcommittee he would look into the issue and provide land on a temporary basis.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2018