LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Saturday directed the Punjab minister for housing, the chief secretary and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to come up with a plan to compensate affectees of the LDA-City Housing Scheme.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing complaints of people who purchased files of the LDA-City, however, never got plots or their money back.

The chief justice observed that all the bureaucrats and heads of developer companies would have been jailed if the hard-earned money of widows and orphans was not involved in this case. He said the owners of Paragon City, Alpha and other companies had become brokers in the whole episode.

The LDA legal adviser told the bench that the development partners/companies were willing to acquire and hand over the remaining land to the authority during the next two to three years. He pointed out that the development companies had sold 9,000 extra files, therefore, 20,000 kanal more land was require to allot plots to the affectees.

He said the LDA had been provided with 19,000 kanal land by the companies but it was scattered. He said Phase-I of the scheme could be completed if 5,000 kanal more land was given to the LDA. However, he said the LDA wanted the companies to complete the task at the earliest.

Chief Justice Nisar directed the LDA to cancel the agreement if the companies failed to provide the required land within one year.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan, the other member of the bench, observed that why did the LDA complete the project itself as it would restore confidence in public. However, the legal adviser said the LDA did not have funds to acquire the land on its own.

LDA Director General Amina Imran Khan said the companies acquired c-category land for the housing scheme. The chief justice asked her to get criminal cases lodged against the owners of the companies.

When asked, a NAB counsel told the court that Nadeem Zia, head of Paragon City, escaped abroad and process had been initiated for his arrest. He said red warrants for the arrest of Zia would be issued within 15 days. However, he said whereabouts of Zia were still unknown.

Chief Justice Nisar directed the minister for housing, chief secretary, the NAB and other authorities to submit within 10 days a compensation plan for the affectees and decide whether to give them plots or return their money.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2018