Land acquisition: Govt to review imposition of section-IV in federal capital

Mulls move to lift ban on sale of land on the outskirts of the city

ISLAMABAD: The government has hinted that it may review a legal clause which allows it to procure land in the federal capital for public purposes and to lift a ban on the procurement of property in the peripheries of
the city.

Moreover, it may also review the restoration of victims’ rights and permission to sell the property by their owners.

The government has also planned to turn the status of densely populated areas into that of a model village instead of extending the sectors. Moreover, the government is also mulling passing legislation which would make it mandatory for courts to pass quick verdicts in land acquisition cases.

Sources say that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) has decided to formally amend the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 and the powers enshrined under section IV of the law.

“Whenever it appears to the collector of the district that land in any locality is needed or is likely to be needed for any public purpose or for a company, a notification to that effect shall be published in the official Gazette, and the collector shall cause public notice of the substance of such notification to be given at convenient places in the said locality,” reads the law, allowing the government to procure any land it requires for constructions in the public interest.

If changed, the government believes it may offer some relief to families who have been prohibited from selling their properties.

In addition, areas with dense population will be given the status of model villages instead of sectors and work for such will be initiated soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2018.