ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi while upholding the orders of Wafaqi Mohtasib has directed the National Highways Authority (NHA) to explain as to why it had failed to compensate the affectees of land acquisition even after a delay of four years.

The president passed the order in the case of Imam Bakhsh, Muhammad Saleh, Ali Ahmed, Ghulam Haider, Khuda Bakhsh and Zahoor Ahmed (the complainants), who alleged that the NHA destroyed their homes and shops during the construction of N-85 and even after their repeated requests for compensation, the agency declined to meet its legal obligations.

The president upheld the decision of the Wafaqi Mohtasib, wherein the NHA was directed to conduct an inquiry against the officers/officials responsible for the inordinate delay and directed the NHA to file a compliance report within 30 days of the receipt of the findings.

In his decision, the president said that unfortunately the agency initiated the case for compensation after four years only when the affectees launched a complaint against NHA, which, he said, was tantamount to maladministration on the part of the authority.

The president observed that the NHA was liable to implement the orders of the Wafaqi Mohtasib passed first on 8th May 2020.

The president rejected NHA’s representation as incompetent and non-maintainable and directed NHA to appear and explain its position in the implementation proceedings before the learned Wafaqi Mohtasib. The president further ordered the agency to appear and explain as to why the order of the Wafaqi Mohtasib had not been complied within the next 30 days.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023