Shifting markets: Kot Lakhpat traders move court

Traders say July 11 operation to vacate the market was unlawful.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday issued notices to the Lahore commissioner, the DCO, the Gulberg TMO and the Model Town superintendent of police for September 8 on contempt of court petitions filed by traders of Kot Lakhpat fruit and vegetable market.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah issued the order on petitions, filed by traders Abdul Ghafoor and Muhammad Asif, which challenge the legality of the operation conducted on July 11.

The petitioners’ lawyer, Mobeen Qazi, said the operation was conducted on the direction of Commissioner Jawad Rafique Malik and DCO Ahad Cheema. Both the men, the petition says ignored the restraining orders on three petitions pending before the LHC against shifting of the market to Kaacha village.

The petitioners said Justice Syed Manzoor Ali Shah had issued a restraining order on March 28, 2011 on the matter.

The petitioners said the operation had caused heavy losses to traders because the Gulberg Town TMO and others had demolished the shops without giving them the opportunity to remove their merchandise.

The petitioners said that a notification was issued on February 2, 2011 under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act 1894 through the offices of the commissioner and the DCO to vacate the land of the fruit and vegetables market. This notification, they said was unlawful because traders, who were stakeholders in the matter, were not consulted.

They said the said notification was issued for the shifting market from its present location of Kot Lakhpat near Model Town to a newly established market in Kaacha village that was not suitable for the market. The traders said they had opposed the decision and challenged the notification before the Lahore High Court and were granted a stay order but the administration ignored the order and used force to get its way.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2011.