Orange line metro: Hassaan assures land owners of adequate compensation

PU staff delegation meets Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan

LAHORE: The government is trying its best to satisfy all stakeholders in the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project, Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan said on Saturday.

He was talking to the media after holding a meeting with a delegation of the Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA).

“Development projects can cause displacement and inconvenience for some citizens. A few people have to make the sacrifice. The government is trying to keep down the cost of the project. It is also trying to satisfy all stakeholders, including the United Nations, which has recently expressed concern over historic sites along the route,” he said.

He said that the project held great significance for Lahoris as well as people who visited the city for business and recreation from all parts of the province. “It will connect northern, central and southern areas of the city. The train will carry around 0.275 million commuters a day,” he said.

Hassaan said the government would acquire around 950 kanals land along the route. “The government is aware of public concerns regarding displacement and resettlement. It is trying to provide the maximum compensation possible to the families whose properties will be acquired for the project,” he said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PUASA secretary Dr Mahboob Hussain said that Hassaan had assured them that the government would give them due compensation. “A summary for the payment of compensation amount has already been forwarded to the chief minister. The issuance of compensation cheques will start next week,” Hassaan told the PUASA delegation.

Hussain said that 160 properties of the Punjab University Town 1 had been marked for acquisition earlier. “However, under the revised plan 35 plots and two houses are going to be acquired. The government has announced Rs0.46 million per marla compensation for the plots. We have requested the government to re-evaluate the price of the two houses,” he said.

He said that Hassaan had assured them that the government would not acquire the land before making the payment to the owners. The delegation was led by PUASA president Prof Dr Hassan Mobeen Alam. PU Housing Society president Dr Shahid Kamal was also present.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2016.