SC forms a committee to provide land compensation of LDA City Project

The Supreme Court on Saturday ordered the formation of a committee to ensure the provision of land or payment of compensation to the affectees of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) City mega housing project. Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development Mehmood-ur-Rashid has called for immediate steps to compensate all file owners of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) City Housing Scheme, a news source reported. He expressed the views during his visit to the site.

LDA Vice Chairman S M Imran accompanied the provincial minister, who directed the authorities concerned to get new development partners on board. He also asked the LDA officials to coordinate with the revenue department in order to examine the ownership documents of 4,000 kanals of land.

The counsel further informed the court that the companies had sold 9,000 registration files in excess and that 20,000 kanals of land were still needed so it may be allotted to the affectees.

Advocate Bhawan said that 300 kanals of expensive land had been given to LDA but it has not been transferred yet. He said that if 5,000 kanals more land could be arranged then phase-1 of LDA City could be completed.

The LDA officials were also told to bifurcate the scheme into phases. To compensate the file owners in the first phase, the authorities concerned are directed to develop an area along Buchar Khana distributary on Ferozepur Road.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the provincial minister and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to chalk out a workable plan in order to compensate all 9,000 LDA City affectees.