Faizabad flyover: Small traders seek compensation

Counsel told the court that 222 stalls were removed from Faizabad in 1994 to make way for the flyover.

ISLAMABAD:

Shopkeepers who lost their shops in 1994 when the Faizabad flyover was being made are seeking compensation.

On their petition, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman on Wednesday sought a reply from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairperson to submit his reply after Azim Khan Rahi, the Faizabad Welfare Khokha Union representative, filed a petition seeking compensation.

Counsel for the petitioner Advocate Malik Ameer told the court that 222 stalls were removed from Faizabad in 1994 to make way for the flyover. In January 1994, the CDA removed all stalls from the site and assured the affected traders they would be given alternate spaces near IJP Road, he added.

“Despite the lapse of many years, no practical steps were taken to help thousands of people who were affected,” he added. He contended that in December 2003, a district court decided in favour of the union and told the CDA to compensate the affected traders. CDA did not implement the court’s orders. In March 2011, the court again directed the authority to evaluate the rehabilitation plan. The CDA filed an appeal, which was dismissed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2012.