Owners to reclaim land as project shelved

Industrial scheme was initiated during rule of Pervaiz Elahi

GUJRAT:

The de-notification of the 200-acre Small Industrial State Estate Phase-II project, which had been approved during the previous government's tenure, has paved the way for landowners to reclaim their properties.

The project saw local residents, especially farmers, protesting the acquisition of agricultural land.

Initiated under the government of former CM Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the project was led by former federal minister Moonis Elahi. The industrial endeavor involved the allocation of 309 plots in the Punjab Assembly constituency PP-34, amounting to a cost of over Rs1 billion.

The land acquisition had triggered protests by inhabitants of the Saroki, Sheikh Qureshan, Qazi Chak, Jhandiwal and Khokhar Gharbi villages.

Following legal battles and assurances from prominent figures like former PM Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and former federal minister Salik Hussain, the decision to de-notify the project offers newfound optimism to the protesting farmers.

The move stipulates the return of seized land to the residents of Saroki, Chak Qazi and Sheikh Qureshian.

Victims of the land acquisition, including Hasnain Akhtar Sarkana, Chaudhry Ehsan Ali and Chaudhry Rashid, expressed gratitude over the decision, highlighting the distinction between genuine assistance and exploitative maneuvers.

However, concerns linger about the fate of the infrastructure already developed.

Members of the industrial community also voiced reservations over the allocation of funds to a project now deemed unviable.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2023.