Punjab initiates Rs70 bn land deal for economic zone

[Salman]

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has started acquiring 25,000 acres, almost equal to 42 villages of Rawalpindi, for the establishment of “Economic Zone and Multipurpose Zone at public expense,” which will cost more than Rs70 billion to the civic authority, The News has learnt.



Mere development of this scale would require money which would be twice the entire budget of the CDA, officials said.Tongues are wagging that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s deals with the Chinese have compelled the CDA to hurriedly establish a limited company to start acquiring the land in the suburbs of Rawalpindi, mostly centuries old villages while the authority is yet to explain what a “multi-purpose zone would have”.



The sources said that housing societies parallel to these 42 villages are purchasing the land for Rs250,000 to Rs300,000 per that the CDA has plans to offer 10 percent of the market rate to the land owners which would result in litigation on a mass scale.



The sources said that if the CDA offers Rs100,000 per kanal even then it would require Rs20 billion to get the land while the compensation for built up structures are apart from it. Moreover, it would require billions to get the land levelled for any type of economic or multipurpose activity, the sources maintained.



A few weeks ago, CDA’s board gave the approval for establishing a limited company, Pakistan Avenue Development Limited, while in the meeting, it was reported that the CDA chairman told the board members that they were establishing this limited company because the prime minister had approved setting up of this company and after that this issue had been brought into the meeting of the CDA board.



CDA bosses were reluctant to talk about the issue and referred the matter to the official spokesman, but the CDA spokesman, when contacted, said that he has been posted out of the CDA, so the authority has no spokesman.



Documents reveal that the Punjab Gazette published a notification on August 15, 2013, states: “Office of the Collector of District Rawalpindi. Notification u/s 4 of The Land Acquisition Act 1984.



Whereas it appears to the collector of District Rawalpindi that land is likely to be taken by the Capital Development Authority (Chairman’s Secretariat), Islamabad, through its company—“Pakistan Avenue Development Limited”— for public purpose, namely, for the Establishment of Economic and Multi-purpose Zone at public expense. It is hereby notified that the land described below is likely to be acquired for the said purpose.



The notification is made under Section 4 of Land Acquisition Act, 1894, to all whom it may concern. In exercise of the powers conferred by the aforesaid section, the collector of District Rawalpindi is pleased to authorize the officers and their servants for the time being engaged on this undertaking to enter upon survey land and to do all other acts required for the proper execution of their work as provided for or specified in the said section”.



Details of the villages include, 727 kanals in Khasala Kalan; 6,161 in Khasala Khurd; 2,374 in Chahan; 1,579 in Maira Kinger/ Maira Khurd; 1,151 in Maira Kalan; 1,056 in Dhala; 2,567 in Pind Chatla; 5,342 in Adiala; 5006 in Jabber Miana; 1,606 in Dera; 15,162 in Takht Peri; 14,123 in Gangal; 8,449 in Mian Ahmada; 8,483 in Dhapai; 8,165 in Taraiya; 783 in Morha Phapra;



11,815 in Nakrali; 9,467 in Ghandiya; 752 in Chak Thoba; 661 in Phundli; 4,553 in Chak Khas; 683 in Pind Mubarak; 2823 in Sarhandi; 768 in Daweri; 1502 in Sambal; 5480 in Kotla; 9,627 in Jabba; 7,387 in Lilla Kamalpur; 2,805 in Bhattiyan Noordin; 2,155in Hoshyal; 3,000 in Morha Garr; 405 in Bagh Rajgaan; 3,993 in Mohra Langer; 3825 in Sangra; 2137in Gahal; 6157in Gogra; 4,411in Sood; 5,621 in Khinger Kalaan; 9, 762 in Katariaan; 10,487 in Thatta Gidpur; 7,170 in Chappar and 704 kanals in village AnturPur.



The sources said that the CDA has not been able to develop any new sector in the last many years, yet it is going for an adventure of establishing an economic zone/multi-purpose zone which would require twice the annual budget of the CDA.



The sources maintained that recently PML-N struck deals with Chinese and all this land is being acquired for the Chinese. “Under the laws, if Punjab government acquires any land for health purpose, it cannot utilize the land for any other purpose then; therefore, to have a multi-purpose zone in Punjab, the idea of acquiring land through the CDA was floated and a limited company Pakistan Avenue Development Company was established within no time,” the sources said.



The staff of Land Revenue Division was secretly called in the office of district collector during the month of Ramazan and were told to submit details of land in the said 42 villages while the owners of land in these villages never had a hint that they would be deprived of their land soon, the sources added.