Thalla Syedan: IHC gives PWD chief 10 days to submit reply

Affected villagers claim officials verified cases of false claimants for award of built-up property.

ISLAMABAD:

A court on Thursday gave director general Public Works Department (PWD) 10 days to submit his response to a petition filed by residents of Sector G-14 over the award for built-up property in Thalla Syedan. The locals of the revene estate in G-14 had moved the court over compensation for the land acquired by the government.

Earlier on May 9, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had restrained the land acquisition controller (LAC) Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) from announcing the award for built-up property for the revenue estate of Thalla Syedan village. The petition has been filed by Muhammad Riaz on behalf of over 50 villagers.

Nayab Hassan, counsel for the department of land acquisition controller ICT, argued the petition was not maintainable. He said that the award was yet to be implemented. He said that the petitioners should have approached the land acquisition department under sections (9) and (18) of the Land Acquisition Act and because of a factual controversy in the petition, IHC did not have jurisdiction.

The villagers’ counsel Niaziullah Niazi contended that former housing minister Faisal Saleh Hayat had ordered a survey of built-up property by a committee of officials from the housing ministry, PWD and Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF). He alleged that PWD and FGEHF officials instead of scrutinising the claims of affected villagers, verified the cases of 788 claimants, some of which were not even genuine.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2012.