Lahore master plan puts farmland at stake: LHC

LAHORE: Lahore High Court s Justice Shahid Karim on Thursday expressed his concern over the Lahore Master Plan 2050, saying the future of agricultural land had been put on stake.

He gave the observation while hearing several petitions from farmers challenging the alleged forced acquisition of land and its sale by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA).

He said the court would see whether the government had sought the opinion of international town planners before finalising the master plan for Lahore.

The judge noted that the world opted for vertical housing buildings instead of expanding cities on land, saying that smog has reached a dangerous level and nobody cares here.

As per the petitions before the court, the petitioners contended that RUDA had occupied their lands with force and started selling them to new buyers. They said the Supreme Court had restrained RUDA from forcibly acquiring the farmers lands. They alleged that the respondents had violated the apex court s direction and continued their illegal activities. They asked the court to restrain RUDA from acquiring and selling their lands. The court sought a reply from the quarters concerned within a week.