The Supreme Court gave go-ahead to the Punjab government on Thursday to continue construction work on the Ashiana Housing Scheme at its own responsibility, but at the same time, the court did not set aside the stay order issued two days ago to halt work on the project.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing a petition filed by Noor Shah, the caretaker of Darbar Noor Shah, who contended that the Punjab government had occupied his land for the project.
Punjab Advocate General Khawaja Haris told the court that the Ashiana Housing Scheme was launched for low income people with a Rs 2 billion investment.
The chief justice remarked that neither the land was taken for a beneficial purpose nor the said amount had been utilised so far.
The petitioner submitted that the construction work was also in full swing at the land allotted to him as compensation, which was 25 miles away from the shrine.
The chief justice observed that according to the Punjab Land Ordinance, substituted land could not be given against the previously allocated one, adding that the scheme could be launched at some other location.
He asked Haris why the Punjab government selected this land for the project to which Khawaja Haris replied that 500 units had already been built while another 700 were in the pipeline.
The provincial government acquired 672 kanal of land of Darbar Baba Noor Shah.
He requested the court to nullify the stay order issued earlier; however, the court turned down his request but said that the provincial government could continue construction work at its own responsibility.
It also directed the Punjab government to give the income from commercial area of the scheme to the Evacuee Trust Property Board and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.
The Ashiana Housing Scheme was initially launched in Lahore but it will be extended to other cities of the province.
