SC orders Punjab govt to allot land to 89 people

[Salman]

LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the Lahore High Court’s order and directed the Punjab government to allot alternate land to 89 affectees of military estate Bahawalpur.
A bench while suspending the LHC order directed the registrar’s office to consolidate all petitions regarding acquiring land for military estate Bahawalpur.
An additional attorney general said the LHC on petitions of affectees had directed the board of revenue to take up representations of the affectees and decide the matter of the compensation. He said before any decision on the representations, the LHC heard petitions of the affectees afresh and passed ordered the government to allot 12.5 acre to each affectee as compensation against acquisition of their land.
He said the land was acquired in 1993 for defence purposes and the compensation against the land acquisition could be made in shape of money only. He said Punjab Land Acquisition Act did not allow allotment of substitute land and only compensation against acquiring of the land.
On query by the bench about the purpose behind acquisition of the affectees land, the Punjab government’s lawyer said that it was acquired for defence purpose.
The affectees’ counsel that the Punjab government did not come with clean hands as it had concealed the facts when it filed the appeal against the order passed earlier by the LHC. The bench suspended the LHC order and postponed further hearing of appeal filed by board of revenue challenging the LHC order.