The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday extended stay against demolishing buildings situated at Bahria Town Lahore, falling in Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop project, till July 31.
The bench headed by Justice Masud Abid Naqvi passed these orders while hearing an Intra Court Appeal (ICA) of the Bahria Town challenging acquisition of Bahria Town Lahore’s land for the project.
During the hearing, Bahria Town’s counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique submitted that the LHC single bench had dismissed the petitions filed by Bahria Town and others against acquisition of their land for Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop project.
He said that the government acquired land on emergency basis under Section 15 (4) of the land acquisition act in 2015. He said that the step deprived owners from filing objections and it was a violation of the Article 10 (A) of the Constitution. He said that the project would affect the developed/constructed area of Bahria Town and it would cause financial loss to the residents. He pointed out that alternate land was available for the project.
He pleaded the court to set aside single bench orders and the notification of land acquisition on emergency basis being illegal.
However, Additional Advocate General Punjab Samia Khalid and Ring Road Authority’s counsel apprised that the single bench written order had not been released yet. They submitted that the authority had taken possession of the land. They submitted that the compensation amount had also been deposited in the court and all requirements under Section 16 and 17 of the Land Acquisition Act had been fulfilled. The bench was requested to dismiss the ICA and also vacate the stay.
However, the bench did not concede with request to vacate stay and adjourned the hearing till July 31 while extending the stay.
It is pertinent to mention here that the bench stayed the ring road authority from demolishing buildings situated at Bahria Town Lahore, falling in Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop project, on last hearing.
