Work on Lahore-Karachi motorway begins with land acquisition

[Salman]

MULTAN
Work on Karachi-Lahore Motorway project has begun as over 12,924 kanal of land has been acquired in district.
In this connection the government has approved land award for making payment worth over Rs2.69 billion to owners of the acquired land, The Nation has learnt.
Sources in the Revenue department disclosed that the Assistant Secretary (Settlement) Punjab Board of Revenue had approved the proposed rate of land fixed by the District Price Assessment Committee and the Land Acquisition Collectors concerned had been directed to fulfil all legal requirements for making payments to the land owners.
The Karachi-Lahore Motorway will pass through three tehsils of Multan including Saddr, Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala. Sources further disclosed that 4,784 kanal and five marla land was acquired in Tehsil Jalalpur Pirwala, 2,784 kanal and 10 marla in Saddr and 5,355 kanal seven marla in Shujabad tehsil. Similarly, funds worth Rs1.10 billion have been approved for payment to the affectees in Tehsil Shujabad, Rs1.059 billion Saddr and over Rs590 million Jalalpur Pirwala.
Sources said that the highest rate of land was proposed for Tehsil Saddr where the government would pay per marla price ranging between Rs64,000 and Rs11,250. The land in this tehsil has been acquired from Mauza Hamidpur Kanora, Fathuwalpur, Kotla Kambhoan, Taragarah, Balail, Ferozepur and Chadhar.
Similarly, the lowest per marla land rate was proposed for Tehsil Jalalpur Pirwala where the per marla payment ranges between Rs9,375 and Rs4,375. In this tehsil, the land is acquired from Mouza Kher Wah, Hootwala, Karamali Wala, Chak No 74, 75, 77, 80, 81 and 86 M, Basti Laang, Nuraja Bhutta, Obayra Janubi and Gouj.
In Shujabad tehsil, the affectees will get between Rs44,000 and Rs6,875 per marla against their land acquired for the road. The land has been acquired in Mauza Sikandarabad Sharqi, Chahan Miran Khan, Khouja, Wahi Bhakhar, Shahpur Obha Janubi, Wahi Raja Raam, Basti Daad, Kheler, Muqeempur, Shah Moosa, Sheikh Pur Shujra, Kilitchpur, Thath Ghalwan Shumali and Thath Ghalwan Janubi.
FIF steps up rescue, relief: The Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) and Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) have stepped up further their flood rescue and relief operation in South Punjab.
The organisation has set up new relief camps in Taunsa and Karor Laal Esan areas to ensure better welfare of the flood affectees. The FIF said that the number of relief camps in South Punjab rose to 10 as the camps in Multan, Layyah, Rajanpur, Kot Mithan and Rojhan were already functioning. The volunteers of the FIF and JuD kept distributing cooked food among over 8,000 affectees in Muhammadpur Ghota, Mauza Bhakhri Ahmad Khan in Layyah, Kukkar Wala Bund, Layyah, Karor, Jhakhar Imam Shah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa, Alipur, Sirki Bund, Kot Mithan and Rojhan Mazari. Similarly, the FIF volunteers rescued and shifted 234 families trapped in floodwater to safer places on motorboats.
Meanwhile, the chairman of FIF Hafiz Abdul Rauf visited flood affected areas of South Punjab on Monday and directed the volunteers to further intensify their operation. He distributed ration among flood-hit families and declared that his organization would make all out efforts for the rehabilitation of the flood affectees.