The Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) faced a major setback for the second time as the Lahore High Court (LHC) struck down the city's 20-year Master Plan (2021-41), declaring it null and void.
A division bench comprising Justice Malik Waqar Haider Rawan and Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad dismissed more than half a dozen intra-court appeals filed by the FDA.
The court ruled that the authority had failed to secure the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Environmental Protection Department before implementing the plan a serious violation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.
Developer Rana Javed Asad, the petitioner in the case, argued that the Master Plan was designed to benefit powerful developers at the cost of farmers and ordinary citizens.
He alleged that agricultural land was rezoned as residential through collusion, while long-established colonies were unjustifiably marked as "Expo" and "Education" zones, restricting further housing development.
"As part of this manipulation, a three-kilometer stretch from Narwala Road to the Interchange was converted from 'Brown' to 'Expo' and 'Education' zones, while distant agricultural land was marked as residential," the petition stated.
"This allowed certain developers to earn billions overnight, while citizens were extorted through false promises of development files."
The petitioner also accused developers of fraudulently incorporating government roads into residential colonies and highlighted that around Rs40 million had been paid to a consultant firm for preparing the flawed plan.
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