LAHORE: We, the residents of Johar Town Blocks E-2, G & F-2, would like to bring to the notice of the Punjab chief minister that a piece of land situated near these three blocks, shown as a park in the master plan of the MA Johar Town Scheme, Lahore, is being used as a garbage dumping ground instead. Because of this, the piece of land had been under litigation until July 7, 2011, when the Supreme Court issued its verdict in the case, ordering that the land owners be compensated as per the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.
However, senior officials of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) have been using delay tactics and have done nothing to compensate the land owners. This has resulted in around 20,000 residents of the area being forced to live in the dirtiest of environmental conditions, with many people falling prey to dengue fever last year, as the land is still being used as a garbage disposal ground.
The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) then tried to drain out gutters using this plot of land. The residents had to threaten the WASA staff before they ran away with their drainage equipment.
We request the Punjab chief minister to take a keen interest in this case as the reputation of the provincial government is being damaged by the actions of the LDA, which has not complied with the Supreme Court’s orders even after the passage of 11 months, resulting in depriving the large population of the area of their right to have a neighbourhood park.
Syed Amjad Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2012.
