President decides 25-year-old land compensation case, directs NHA to implement order

ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (NNI): President Dr Arif Alvi while overruling Wafaqi Mohtasib’s decision in a 25-year-old case, directed the National Highways Authority (NHA) to award compensation to the complainants in lieu of the land purchased by it in accordance with the Compensation Award announced by NHA in 1997, which remained uncontested and unimplemented since then.
He reprimanded NHA for causing unnecessary delay in implementing the award announced 25 years ago and directed it to pay the due amount to the citizens within 45-days of the order.
The president pointed out that it was not a matter of measurement and assessment of land or any other nitty-gritty, but implementation and payment of the awarded compensation as per the orders of NHA in 1997. He highlighted that this aspect was not factored in by the Mohtasib while passing the impugned orders, and held that since the award of 1997 had not been challenged by either party, it had attained finality and NHA was bound to pay the assessed amount as per law. NNI