LAHORE: Participants in a day-long workshop hosted by the National Grid Company (NGC), formerly the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC), were unanimous for taking immediate action to reform the Land Acquisition Act, the 1894 colonial-era legislation, that continues to govern land acquisition in Pakistan despite being fundamentally misaligned with current infrastructure realities.

The NGC hosted the event on right-of-way (RoW) issues in transmission infrastructure here at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The event brought together legal experts, development partners and power sector stakeholders to chart a plan for a modern legal and operational framework to resolve land access challenges that continued to affect the reliable and timely delivery of Pakistan’s power transmission network.

The session was opened by Maria Rafique, chief law officer of NGC, who outlined the workshop’s objectives and framed the day as the beginning of a sustained, structured effort to build a governance model fit for Pakistan’s growing transmission needs.

In his keynote address, Dr Fiaz Ahmad Chaudhry, chairman of the NGC Board, said: “Since the century-old legal frameworks require corrective measures, we need to move from a reactive posture to a proactive one anticipating challenges, modernising our tools, and building frameworks that serve today’s development needs”.

Irfan Ali, chairman of the Central Power Purchase Agency (CPPA)-G Board, emphasized that fair and equitable treatment of landowners was not just a legal obligation but a practical imperative.

Dr Daud Munir delivered a detailed presentation on the existing regulatory landscape, highlighting gaps between the current legal framework and operational needs, and proposing the key elements of a modern ROW framework for large-scale transmission development.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026