Thousands of acres of land had been occupied by powerful landlords
ISLAMABAD: After the orders of the Supreme Court, country- wide action was taken against encroachments and land grabbing, particularly in the province of Sindh. The anti-encroachment department demolished many houses, shops and other structures illegally constructed on the sides of the roads in various towns and cities.
The majority of people welcomed the government’s action, because illegal constructions were increasing difficulties for people and causing heavy traffic jams in big cities as well as in small towns also.
In rural areas, however, land grabbing is not being controlled. Thousands of acres of land had been occupied by powerful landlords. In some districts, actions were taken against land grabbers by authorities. Only a few hundred acres of land from were retrieved from small landlords, but big feudal lords who have grabbed thousands of acres of land were left untouched. The authorities have retrieved hardly 30% of the grabbled land. Even this small amount of land is barren. These lands are not fit even for grazing.
Animals are a significant source of income in rural areas. The authorities must take action against the big land grabbers with the help of law-enforcement agencies to get these lands retrieved and plant trees there. This is necessary to protect our environment from effects of climate change.
Gulzar Ali Panhwar
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2019.
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