Orange Train Controversy
It seems that people misled by vested interest and the forces that are against the development of the country and wants to keep it backwards. Orange Train is a beneficial project and eases the transportation woes of the City dwellers. Some pessimist elements are deliberately opposing this project.
The government has the power under the laws of the state to acquire private properties a needed in the Public Interest. Some of the residents of Manwan Village took out a rally to protest against the acquisition of their lands and properties. They were chanting slogans against the Punjab government and attacked the vehicles, construction equipment and labor at the site. The workers ran away to save their lives.
The project’s progress has been interrupted and compromised. The unnecessary delay would increase the cost of the project. The government is partly blamed too for causing panic in the owners of the acquired properties. They have not paid the compensation of their properties.
After such protests, the Lahore development authority has imposed strict conditions for getting the benefit by the owners. The owners of acquired properties will have to submit an application along with their CNIC, two witnesses’ CNIC copies, admin bond on Rs 100 stamp paper, Affidavit on 50 Rs stamp paper, registry with an attested copy, offer for collection of compensation attested by the Revenue Officer, transfer deed, electricity & gas bills, and property tax receipt.
The work on the distribution of compensation regarding the acquired properties is beginning on January 01, 2016. Applications will be collected at different points established by the LDA including LDA Johar town office, and at the individual camps organized at Jain Mandir, Engineering University and Tokkar Niaz Baig.
I think LDA has taken timely action to quell the owners’ apprehensions regarding the payment of compensation. I hope the owners will be satisfied with these arrangements, and stop all sorts of protestation. If the government has taken these measures before starting the project, it would not have faced such problems.
