ISLAMABAD: Some 66 individuals claiming to be co-owners of the land on which Bahria Town has established the new Murree project, on Monday petitioned in the Supreme Court against the said housing society.

They pleaded with the apex court to consider them a necessary party in an ongoing hearing against the complete ban on construction in the National Park area- which includes Murree, Kotli Sattian and Kahuta.

Moved through senior counsel Raja Mohammad Shafqat Abbasi, the petitioners said they were co-owners of land measuring 5,068 kanals and nine marlas in the village of Salkhetar, within the revenue estate of Salkhetar in Shamlat lands.

Acquisition of land was in disregard of rules, housing societies harm environment, petitioners say

They have alleged that the concerned district collector had acquired 659 kanals and 13 marlas from the revenue estate village of Salkhetar through a notification on June 14, 2006 under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act 1894.

The petition says the land was acquired for Bahria Town for launching the Bahria Town Golf City on the petitioners’ land. They have said this commercial venture of Bahria Town is causing serious hazards to the environment area as well as to Rawal Dam, which is some 10 kilometres from the site.

The petition says the entire acquisition proceedings by the revenue authorities were initiated in utter disregard of the rules and regulations.

The Supreme Court had in 2006-07 taken suo motu notice on the basis of newspaper reports and an application moved by villagers after which notices were issued to the district coordination officer, Rawalpindi.

The court had later disposed of the case in 2009 regarding the environmental hazards of the proposed new Murree project after securing reports, replies and undertakings from environmental authorities.

This petition now alleges that despite clear cut directions and undertakings given by the secretary environment Punjab, development activities on the Bahria Town project and other societies continue during which small hills are bulldozed, trees are felled and land over the mountains is levelled.

As a result, the Nullah Korang and Kassi have filled with earth, thus endangering the eco system.

The petition says Bahria Town, Sky Garden and other societies have forcibly occupied the Shamlat land of their villages without court approval and in a dubious manner. All mutations were bogus and have been challenged in the Rawalpindi civil court, they said.

The petitioners have said that the launching of the Bahria Town Golf City on their land has caused serious hazards to the environment and eco system.

The project is being executed near the Nullah Korang, the catchment areas of which extend up to New Murree and Patriata, where the Punjab government had already halted the new Murree project due to environmental concerns.

The petitioners have said the housing societies are a threat to the hills, water flow, human life, eco-system and the natural beauty of the area and that they contaminate Rawal and Simly Dams, which are the source of water for residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

It is a well settled principle of law that Shamlat land cannot be portioned without government permission, as even the green trees on such land are owned by the government.

The petition says the Punjab government has declared parts of Murree as national park area under section 17 of the Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Act, 1974.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2018