LHC disposes of petitions against ban on constructions around Jati Umra

[Salman]

LHC disposes of petitions against ban on constructions around Jati Umra

LAHORE: Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court (LHC) disposed of four identical petitions, challenging a notification issued by the city district government of Lahore (CDGL) that imposed a ban on carrying out constructions/development in area surrounding Jati Umra locality near Raiwind where private residences of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family are situated.
On Friday, District Coordination Officer Ahmad Javed Qazi informed the court that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general had been empowered to issue such notifications following an amendment to the local government (LG) law. The judge directed the LDA director general to decide the matter within a month.
Advocate Noshab A Khan and others petitioned that the CDGL administrator on February 4 had issued a notification after which an area of 2,000 acres of land around Jati Umra was kept frozen with respect to development of new housing schemes by all public and private agencies with immediate effect.
Advocate Khan submitted that revenue officers of Jati Umra had been directed to seek a no objection certificate (NOC) before passing any mutation in favour of any housing scheme, which means that the notification had been issued to accommodate political personalities.
He submitted that the impugned notification and demarcation of the area was not based on any provision of the approved master plan of Lahore and that purpose of the impugned notification was to stop landowners of the demarcated area from constructing their residences and even to refrain from growing crops on their agriculture lands.
He submitted that the entire exercise was to declare this area an estate for political figures, which are inhabitants of Jati Umra.
He said that the impugned notification was a violation of fundamental rights of the people living in the demarcated area or having their underdeveloped housing colonies therein. He requested the court to declare the notification as illegal and unconstitutional.
The town municipal officer (TMO) of Allama Iqbal Town had presented before the court relevant record and master plan of the city.
Earlier, the respondents had assured the court that they would not demolish or take any adverse action against sanctioned and approved buildings raised in the area in question except, of course, if there was any violation of the building plans itself.
It was clarified that any such action would, therefore, be not under the impugned notification but under the enabling provisions of the LG law and the Lahore Development Authority Act, 1975.