Faisalabad: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has annulled the Faisalabad Development Authority’s (FDA) 20-year Master Plan (2021–41), declaring it null and void for failing to meet mandatory legal requirements.
A division bench comprising Justice Malik Waqar Haider Rawan and Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad dismissed more than half a dozen intra-court appeals filed by the FDA. The court observed that the authority had not obtained the legally required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Environmental Protection Department before implementing the plan — a violation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.
According to the petitioner, the master plan was designed to benefit influential developers while undermining the rights of farmers and ordinary citizens. He argued that agricultural land was rezoned as residential through collusion, while long-established colonies were marked as “Expo” and “Education” zones, restricting housing development.
According to the petition, a three-kilometre stretch from Narwala Road to the Interchange was reclassified from “Brown” to “Expo” and “Education” zones, while distant farmland was rezoned for residential use. This, it said, enabled certain developers to earn billions overnight while misleading citizens with false development promises.
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