Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Water and Power Development Authority’s (WAPDA’s) appeal against the Peshawar High Court (PHC) verdict in a land acquisition case.
A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the case.
During the course of proceedings, the court was informed that WAPDA acquired 24 Kanal and 15 Marla land from a person in Mohabatabad area of Mardan against Rs 359 per Marla while the PHC ordered WAPDA to pay Rs 4000 per Marla.
Justice Sajjad Ali Shah addressing the WAPDA counsel asked was not it wrong for WAPDA to acquire a citizen’s ancestral land for Rs 359 per Marla?
He asked the counsel did he knew the rate of land in Mardan? Advocate Shakir Ullah Afridi counsel for WAPDA said that it was a barren land and WAPDA turned it into rain fed land. This was the rate of land in the area, he added.
Justice Sajjad Ali Shah said that the court had received a report of Rs 17,000 per Marla in the area.
He said that the PHC fixed rate at Rs 4000 per Marla and WAPDA challenged the verdict in the apex court.
The court dismissed WAPDA’s appeal and ordered it to pay Rs 4000 per Marla land price to citizen Waheed.
