RAWALPINDI: The traders of Rawalpindi have asked the government to pay monetary compensation for affecting their businesses, during the ongoing construction work of the metro bus project.
“Despite the chief minister’s assurance for paying compensation money, per market rates, there are reports that the affected traders would be paid under the registry/DC formula, which is not acceptable,” said Arshad Shoukat, the president of Traders’ Association Faizabad.
He said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while speaking on the ground breaking ceremony, had assured the traders that they would be paid as per the market value.
“Now, we are being informed that the local administration would pay the compensation money under the registry/DC formula.” He further said that a few days before the formal inauguration of the project, the commissioner Rawalpindi, Zahid Saeed, who is also the project director of the metro bus project, had a detailed meeting with the traders committee.
“In the meeting, the commissioner had informed us that affected traders would be paid per registry/DC rate formula, which we vehemently opposed,” Arshad Shoukat added.
The traders said that under the registry formula, the government would give only Rs1,625,000 per marla to the affected traders, which is peanuts.
“The traders of Murree road established the business by investing millions of rupees, so they must be compensated as per market value,” said Nasir Tabish, a member of the traders committee.
He said that the registry formula would not be accepted by the traders. “We are pining hope on the chief minister’s commitment for compensating the traders as per the market value,” he added.
The construction work of elevated roads is already underway. On March 23, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the multibillion-rupee mass transit project for the twin cities.
Due to the project, dozens of shops will be affected on the Murree road, as at least ten stations will be established from the Flashman’s hotel to Faizabad. Shahid Ghafoor Paracha, a member of the traders committee, who is tasked to deal with the compensation cases, said that there is a big different between the market rate and registry rate.
“The business men should be compensated as per market value. We will not accept any other formula,” he added.