LAHORE: Process initiated to acquire land for the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project under a ‘fast track plan’ has triggered mass protests in various residential, industrial and agricultural areas along the 46km long stretch of the river - mainly falling within revenue limits of the Lahore City District.

The situation is turning into a protest movement against the government that seems focused on executing the project on a top priority basis, Dawn has learnt.

“It seems another ‘east India company’ is in the making. And you can understand well when you will know that the 12-member project committee constituted by the government has no representation from any of the PTI’s own ministers in Punjab,” PML-F Punjab General Secretary Mian Mustafa Rashid told this reporter.

“But we will not allow the government to affect hundreds of thousands of people living and engaged in several works, mostly agriculture that provides Lahore and other districts fresh vegetables and fruits at cheaper rates. We will resist this plan,” Mr Rashid, a younger brother of PTI Housing Minister Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, said.

Owners reject ‘low offer’, others don’t want to relocate; authority head says no plan to acquire land having settled population

The project, on which the work was mainly launched [after feasibility study during the last government’s tenure (2014/15)], envisages development of a new city having modern living with residential and commercial areas. It also aims to revive the Ravi with water channelisation through barrages. However, the PML-N government, later dropped the project since no adequate funds were available on the part of public or private sectors.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in August, this year, had launched the Rs5 trillion project by laying foundation stone at a ceremony in Lahore. He had claimed that it would create millions of jobs. He had also said there might be a lot of resistance, but the team working on the project should focus on timelines and execute it.

After the launch, work on land acquisition was initiated. And finally in October 2020, section 4 of the land acquisition act was invoked by the government in order to acquire a number of chunks of land in various mauzas/villages situated along both sides of the river. “Whereas it appears that the land is likely to be acquired by the Ravi Urban Development Project for public purpose, it is hereby notified that the land in the locality as described is likely to be acquired for the above purpose,” reads the notification issued on Oct 6.

According to an official summary the land (over 97,000 kanal) that is to be acquired in Shalimar tehsil of Lahore city district alone is situated in mauza Baghbanpura, Mehmood Booti, Kot Khwaja Saeed, Saggian, Wassanpura, Lakhoder, Handoo, Natt, Taij Garh, Chak Rampura, Shahpur Kanjra, Rakh Shabeel, Attoki Awan, Waghran, Mann, Martwar, Ganja Sindhu and Awan Dhawaa. The cost assessed as per nature of land ranges from Rs3 million to 9m (per acre). Similarly per marla cost in residential areas too has been assessed to maximum of Rs300,000 or so. However, the cost assessed for the industrial areas’ land, where hundreds of industrial units are in operation with thousands of employed workers, has not been mentioned in the list. Moreover, the Lahore DC office on Nov 9 also imposed a ban on issuance of fard malkiat of illegal and unapproved private housing societies/towns through a letter No NT (Nauz) / 3888.

Residents, who have been protesting against the government for the last couple of months, say they would never surrender their land. “You put us in jails. But we will not give our land for this disastrous project,” deplores a resident of Mehmood Booti locality.

According to Ravi Project Affectees Association Vice Chairman Mian Kamran, the project area includes a large chunk of land where hundreds of industrial units (furnace, plastic etc) have been operating since long, providing jobs to thousands of people. “The revenue staff (patwaris) use to visit our area off and on. They have demarcated the land. Our factory too has been marked. But we will never want to relocate. We will continue our protests,” he said.

Kamran said the land rates [offers] were too low. Our land price ranges between Rs70m and Rs100m per acre. But they are offering Rs7m to 9m. “It seems a mafia is out to grab vast tracts of land,” he alleged.

Inam Butt, owner of a re-rolling mill/the association chairman, criticised the government for keeping the affectees in the dark [about the project].

“Whatever the government is doing is creating doubts. They have marked and numbered the industry and other infrastructure. They are also propagating and declaring our land disputed. But we have all documents (registry, intiqal etc) that are sufficient to prove our ownership,” he said.

Inam said it was the area that fulfill 60/70 per cent of Lahore’s need for fresh milk, vegetables. “Simply we will have no alternative if we lose this business,”

In July this year, a number of civil society organisations and environmental, urban and heritage experts and architects, including about 60 from the National College of Arts (NCA), had expressed concerns over the government’s plan, terming it not only a disaster for the river’s natural flows and Lahore’s future but also a step against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

They, through letters to Premier Imran Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, had rejected the project. They were of the view that the agricultural area being acquired for the project would add to the appropriation by the powerful elite of the ‘common patrimony’ of the Lahorites and they will not cater to the vast majority of the low and middle income sector.

They also termed it unsustainable from environmental, ecological and financial aspects, saying its concept is against all the SDGs, to which Pakistan is a signatory, and a violation of the Lahore High Court orders with regard to the recommendations of the River Ravi Commission.

When contacted, Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) Chairman Mr Rashid Aziz dispelled the impression, claiming that there was no plan to acquire land having settled populations (residential, industrial etc). “None of the house is being razed or acquired. No one is being relocated. Also we have no plan to acquire land where the factories are in operation,” he said.

Mr Aziz said, the authority, under a mitigation plan, got a survey launched in the project area so as to know number of people living, their valuables, properties, animals, assets etc and plan the activities for improving their standard of life. He said similarly the agriculture area is being surveyed to know nature of [agriculture] businesses, including cattle farms.

He said the authority was working out various financial models, including overseas investment. However, the affectees, whose built-up areas were marked by the field officials looked unsatisfied with the RUDA chief’s version.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2020