Hundreds of Rawalpindi Ring Road Landowners Still Await Compensation

Hundreds of landowners whose property was acquired for the 38.5-kilometer Rawalpindi Ring Road have not received compensation despite the project’s completion.

The affected owners said authorities have neither issued formal compensation awards nor announced the rates and amounts payable for their land.

According to the landowners, hundreds of kanals belonging to around 200 owners in each of seven old settlements were acquired for the project. They said they did not oppose the acquisition because the land was needed in the national interest, but payment remains pending even after the road became operational.

The affected areas include Mouza Kahi Mirbaz, Khengar Kalan, Hoshial, Kamalpur, and nearby localities.

A delegation of landowners met MNA Engineer Qamarul Islam and raised the matter with him. The delegation included former union council chairman Zia Mehmood, former naib nazim Haji Arshad Javed, PML-N focal person Raja Ilyas Kayani, Haji Bashir, Malik Muzaffar Hussain, Malik Bilal, and Raja Waheed.

The landowners urged the Punjab chief minister and Rawalpindi commissioner to take notice of the delay, issue the compensation awards, and ensure immediate payment.

They warned that they would protest with their children during the Ring Road inauguration ceremony on August 14 if compensation was not released. A demonstration is also planned outside the commissioner’s office this week.

Engineer Qamarul Islam assured the delegation that all affected landowners would be compensated. He said their grievances and relevant details had been forwarded to the Punjab government and Rawalpindi commissioner.

Raja Ilyas Kayani, however, said a delegation would also travel to Lahore to meet the chief secretary over the issue.