LAHORE: The commissioner on Tuesday imposed section 5 of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 to acquire over 62 kanals required for the construction of Shahkam Chowk Flyover.

After the imposition of section 4, section 5 is the second step of the land acquisition process under which a notification is issued stating that particular land is needed for a public purpose or for a company.

The next steps required to be taken under the act for any particular piece of land for any project of public interest include sections 5-A for hearing of objections and section 6 to 17 on the declaration of the required land, issuing orders for acquisition, marking and measuring of the land, issuing notices to the persons interested, conducting inquiries, announcing the award of land, taking possession, etc.

“Whereas the commissioner (Lahore division) is satisfied that the land notified under section 4 issued by the collector is required to be taken by the LDA for the construction of flyover an At Grade (on ground) improvement at Shahkam Chowk, Lahore,” reads a notification issued by the Lahore commissioner on Tuesday.

The land being acquired under the plan as mentioned in the notification included 47 kanals, 19 marlas and 36 sq ft in Mauza Mohlanwal, eight kanals, 19 marlas and 73 sq feet in Mauza Jilliana and six marla and 133 Sq feet of Mohlanwal Housing Scheme (Bloc-A), three kanals, nine marlas and 124 sq ft in bloc B and one kanal, eight marlas and 38 sq ft in Bloc-C.

The Rs4.3bn Shahkam Chowk overhead project, aims at easing the public mobility on the Link Canal Road (from Thokar Niaz Baig to Shahkam Chowk), traffic congestion at Shahkam intersection and the roads linking posh residential localities of Bahria Town, Mohlanwal Stop (Multan Road) and New Defence. The work on the project was launched by the contractor on the site last month.

Similarly, the work on the Rs4.9bn Sheranwala Gate project and Gulab Devi underpass project was also launched last month. The Sheranwala Gate project envisages about one kilometre long flyover (perhaps the longest in the city (so far) from Naulakha Police Station to the Sheranwala Gate. The flyover, having 400 metre elevation, is expected to resolve the traffic problems on Circular Road where around 121,421 vehicles pass daily. The cost of the project includes over Rs2bn being spent on the acquisition of 22 kanals.

The construction of an underpass on Ferozepur Road (Gulab Devi Hospital), costing around Rs2bn, would help resolve the traffic clogging issues on the road. The cost includes over Rs1.4bn to be spent on the civil works while the remaining amount will be spent on consultancy, landscaping, and shifting of services. The cost of the land acquisition (over Rs60 million) has also been saved by changing the design of the project.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2021