Metro train: Govt’s reply sought on land acquisition

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday sought a reply from the government on petitions against the acquisition of land at Thokar Niaz Beg, Kapoorthala House and Chauburji for the Orange Line Metro Train project.

An LHC division bench, headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, heard the petitions. The government informed the court that it had withdrawn its decision of acquiring land at Mominpura graveyard. The court then disposed of the petitions challenging the acquisition of the graveyard’s land for the project.

Petitioner Advocate Azhar Siddique submitted that the government had announced the project before acquiring land for it. “What will be the fate of the project, if the land acquisition process is declared unlawful?”

Siddique said proper planning had not been carried out to protect historical sites. Other petitioners said the government was pressing them to vacate their properties and that it was reluctant to pay them adequate compensation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2015.