Business owners file petitions against land acquisition for M9 Motorway

SHC takes notice of impending obstacles in construction

HYDERABAD: While the controversy surrounding the land acquisition for the M9 Motorway still awaits resolution, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued a stay order in yet another case. The order came as a result of a petition filed by Abdul Wahab, Baqar Khan and other business owners who said that their fuel station, hotel and shops on the former Super Highway are allegedly being forcefully taken over.

The six-lane 136-kilometre motorway that connects Karachi to Hyderabad is being built by a subsidiary of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) over the four-lane Super Highway. Hundreds of businesses are located on either side of the highway. Many business owners are criticising the land acquisition process.



Last year, the SHC ordered the National Highway Authority (NHA) and Superhighway Construction Operation and Rehabilitation Engineering limited (SCORE) to form a committee to sort out the grievances pertaining to the acquisition. The petitioners claimed that the court's order to the construction company is being violated as their legally established businesses continue to get disturbed.

The SHC, through the additional advocate-general, granted a stay against the demolition of the petitioners' businesses and put the officials of the NHA, SCORE and the Sindh government on notice for June 22. The court also ordered that all identical petitions will be taken up on the next hearing.

The construction of M9 motorway is likely to be completed ahead of the scheduled time by August.