LAHORE – The Lahore High Court has declared the Ravi Urban Development Amendment Ordinance null and void, maintaining that the procurement of land under section IV is unlawful.
In its decision on petitions against the Ravi River Urban Project which was launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Justice Shahid Karim ruled that the schemes without a master plan are unlawful.
The court mentioned that the agricultural land could only be acquired by following the relevant law, adding that, in this case, the 1894 law was violated. The master plan of the RUDA was prepared without consulting the local administration.
Last year in November, the court stopped the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) from acquiring more land for its flagship project till further orders as farmers challenged the Land Act of 1894.
Justice Karim remarked that since RRUDP’s master plan is the basic document, all the schemes should be under the master plan. Meanwhile, the court directed the Authority to return the money it had acquired from the government within two months.
The petitions filed by Sheraz Zaka, Ahmad Rafay Alam, and others on behalf of the farmers, challenged the mode and manner of the land acquisition proceedings undertaken by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA), per reports.
The project has faced criticism that it is leading to rampant land grabs which may displace thousands of farmers in the region.
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