The Ministry of Railways, and Port Qasim Authority (PQA) are locked horns over the leasing of additional 250 to 300 acres of land for industrial purposes at Juma Goth, as the PQA insists that it wants to purchase land at Rs 2 million per acre, "without open bidding".
Sources told Business Recorder that PQA had bought adjacent land at Rs 2 million from Pakistan Railways some time ago; and is now insisting that the remaining land should be sold to it at the same rate. Pakistan Railways maintains that the price of land has risen, and it would go through the open bidding process to get the highest price for the said land.
"Railways Ministry prefers the process of open bidding to lease out land to the highest bidder at competitive rates, but PQA is lobbying to purchase the land without bidding process, sources said. They added that the Railways Ministry expects to lease out the land at the rate of Rs 8 million per acre, while PQA is insisting upon getting the land at Rs 2 million per acre. That is not acceptable to the Railways Ministry. Sources are of the view that Railways Ministry may not give decision in the favour of PQA in this regard.
Sources further said that Railways Ministry had leased out 220.37 acres land to Port Qasim Authority (PQA) in light of decisions of Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) with the conditions of withdrawal of court case against Pakistan Railways pertaining to land at Wazir Mansion. The other conditions are: PQA will not sub-let or transfer the land; and rate of land leased out is Rs 2 million per acre already paid by PQA.
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