Office of the Ombudsman Punjab Resolves Long-Awaited Issue of Compensation Payment

Background

In 2016, the provincial irrigation department formulated a plan to construct a seepage drain along the Trimmu-Sidhnai Link Canal to control waterlogging in the adjoining areas. To acquire lands from private owners, the Land Revenue Act (Section 4) of 1994 was invoked, and a gazette notification was issued for the payment of compensation amounting to the tune of Rs680 million.

Delay in Payment

The land acquisition collector of the canal and drainage division Faisalabad was entrusted with the responsibility of disbursing the compensation payments. However, despite considerable time elapsed, no payment was made to the affected landowners, resulting in six affected individuals filing separate complaints to the ombudsman office in 2019 for payment of their lands.

Intervention by the Office of the Ombudsman Punjab

Taking into consideration the seriousness of the issue and the public interest, Ombudsman retired Maj. Azam Suleman Khan directed the initiation of the payment process and ensured continuous monitoring and facilitation of the relevant departments to accelerate the payment process. Following this crucial development, the regional ombudsman office in Jhang completed all pending legal procedures, under the land revenue act, and executed the issuance of gazette notifications.

Payment Process

The land acquisition collector and revenue, as well as project staff, have visited all affected areas and announced the awards for the compensation payments. As a result, an amount of Rs6.72 million has already been disbursed to the affectees, while the payment process is in progress for other landowners.

Guidance for Landowners

The spokesman guided the landowners, whose lands were acquired along the Trimmu-Sidhnai Link Canal, that they should visit the land acquisition collector’s office in Faisalabad and present evidence of their ownership rights and get their Robkar issued. Based on the Robkar, they should transfer the ownership of their land to the irrigation department through their respective arazi record centre. Afterwards, they should return to the land acquisition collector’s office with the proof of transfer of their land to collect their payment voucher, in accordance with the announced award.

Conclusion

Thanks to the continuous mediation, monitoring, and facilitation by the Office of the Ombudsman Punjab, the long-awaited issue of compensation payment to landowners whose lands were acquired in 2016 for the construction of a seepage drain along the Trimmu-Sidhnai Link Canal has been resolved. This development serves as a reminder of the importance of government agencies taking prompt action to address the grievances of the public.