LAHORE: In a major operation launched early on Tuesday morning, a joint team of the Lahore Ring Road Authority (LRRA) and the city district administration retrieved a major chunk of land from Bahria Town, paving the way for launching construction work on the Southern Loop-3 (SL-3) — a crucial stretch that will connect Raiwind Road with Maraka (Multan Road).

Led by Lahore Commissioner/LRRA Chairperson Dr Mujtaba Paracha and Deputy Commissioner retired Capt Anwarul Haq, the team reached the area along with equipment and police personnel at about 5am and started demolishing structures of as many as 73 houses, four plazas and other premises in a bid to clear way for the construction of SL-3.

Except three, the team during a day-long operation razed 32 houses measuring five-marla, 37 of 10-marla, one of one-kanal, four plazas measuring four marla (each) in Bahria Town, a brick kiln and various structures (houses) in an adjacent rural locality.

Houses in Bahria Town razed after court didn’t extend stay

“We didn’t demolish structures of three five-marla houses after the families residing there approached the court immediately and got a stay order. But sooner or later, we will also get possession of these houses since the same piece of land is a vital part of the stretch already acquired for the project by the government,” LRRA Director (Estate Management) Khwaja Sohail told Dawn.

Work on the SL-3 had been stalled since July 2016 after the town’s administration and some residents approached the court and got a stay order. However, the LRRA legal team termed the court order ‘not a stay order’ in favour of the group (Bahria Town). Therefore, the LRRA team launched an operation on Aug 3, 2016, starting from a boundary wall of the town. But a number of security staffers [of Bahria Town] foiled the bid. The stand-off ended only after the police intervened. Later, the LRRA kept on trying to resolve the issue amicably but to no avail.

“The plaintiffs used to delaying the case in the court by seeking adjournments on each date since start of the litigation. On Monday, the court didn’t extend the stay order. So the LRRA admin discussed the matter with the provincial government that finally allowed us to retrieve the land with immediate effect and start construction of the SL-3,” Mr Sohail added.

After inauguration of the southern loop-1 and 2 on Dec 22 last year, the LRRA had planned to launch work on litigation-free portions of the SL-3 from January or February this year, but it couldn’t do so. However, it kept on completing other works related to transfer of the entire acquired land in the name of the government, floating tenders, compensation to the affectees, short-listing contractors for the award of project under public-private partnership etc. The entire process didn’t bear fruit, as the LRRA couldn’t get the right of way and hand over it to the contractor under the concession agreement that expired on April 6.

“Oct 9 (Tuesday) was a ‘D-day’ for us, as we succeeded finally in getting possession of the state land that was under illegal possession of the Bahria Town. And now we will be able to start work within a month or two since we have to re-float the tenders and shortlist the bidders and award the project etc. We are required to do so since the earlier process made is no more valid this time,” the official said.

He said the total cost of 3,098 kanals acquired for the Rs8 billion SL-3 was Rs5.7bn that included around Rs1bn compensation for the 501-kanal falling in Bahria Town. He said the SL-3 would start from Adda Plot and end at Maraka (Multan Road, near a paint factory) via Bahria Town, NFC, Pakistan Medical Society and other private land.

On the other hand, those residing in various houses demolished by the team criticised the sudden government’s action that left the residents with no option but to stay at the green belts along with their luggage.

“We woke up early morning after we heard noise of demolition being carried out by the team. We were also asked to immediately leave the place along with the valuables,” said a resident whose family was sitting at a green belt along with the luggage.

He said a majority of house owners had already left the area last year after the company (Bahria Town) paid them compensation, allowing their own employees to settle in the vacant houses for an indefinite period.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2018