Usurped: Govt property sold by employee for Rs1.6m
Handed 21-marla plot to land mafia, say officials
Handed 21-marla plot to land mafia, say officials. STOCK IMAGE
PESHAWAR:
An employee of the irrigation department handed over a 21-marla plot owned by the department to land grabbers after allegedly taking Rs1.6 million, officials told The Express Tribune.
The plot, worth millions of rupees, located at walking distance from Gulbahar police station, was given to an employee of the department – a tube-well operator, Mir Alam Khan. The department was using the plot as a partial storeroom and had allowed Mir to construct a room and live there with his family since several years.
Talking to The Express Tribune, sub-divisional officer Jehanzeb Khan said, “Mir informed the department two days ago land grabbers were trying to evict him and grab the plot.” Jehanzeb added when a team from the department was being sent, Mir called and assured them he would handle the issue himself.
“On Friday, Mir called the department and claimed 11 armed men forced him out and occupied it,” the SDO said.
Suspecting police and Mir’s involvement, Jehanzeb reached the police station where an official dismissed him, saying, “The land grabbers will not eat the plot, let them live.” Jehanzeb added the department, in its statement, said 11 people were involved, however, the police arrested only two people.
Jehanzeb then took SHO Said Amin Jan to the locality to show him that it was the property of the irrigation department but the SHO refused to enter the plot and said an FIR needed to be registered first. He also stated Mir gave land grabbers Rs1.6 million in return for the plot.
According to the SDO, a few years ago, land grabbers had appealed to the court for ownership of some part of the plot after forging ownership documents, but the court had ruled in favour of the irrigation department and dismissed the grabbers’ claim. Both the irrigation department as well as the police are certain of Mir’s involvement in the case but this has not been recorded in the initial report.
The other side
When contacted, SHO Jan said two people were arrested and then released on bail. He said an FIR will only be registered if the irrigation department provides proper documents. “I have asked the land grabbers who claim to own the plot to do the same,” he said.
Jan added a man identified as an Afghan refugee, Usman, might also be involved in the case but has not been nominated in the initial report. Neighbours, requesting anonymity fearing land grabbers’ wrath, claimed the plot was in fact the storeroom of the irrigation department. “Usman would often visit the tube-well operator,” one of the neighbours said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2015.
An employee of the irrigation department handed over a 21-marla plot owned by the department to land grabbers after allegedly taking Rs1.6 million, officials told The Express Tribune.
The plot, worth millions of rupees, located at walking distance from Gulbahar police station, was given to an employee of the department – a tube-well operator, Mir Alam Khan. The department was using the plot as a partial storeroom and had allowed Mir to construct a room and live there with his family since several years.
Talking to The Express Tribune, sub-divisional officer Jehanzeb Khan said, “Mir informed the department two days ago land grabbers were trying to evict him and grab the plot.” Jehanzeb added when a team from the department was being sent, Mir called and assured them he would handle the issue himself.
“On Friday, Mir called the department and claimed 11 armed men forced him out and occupied it,” the SDO said.
Suspecting police and Mir’s involvement, Jehanzeb reached the police station where an official dismissed him, saying, “The land grabbers will not eat the plot, let them live.” Jehanzeb added the department, in its statement, said 11 people were involved, however, the police arrested only two people.
Jehanzeb then took SHO Said Amin Jan to the locality to show him that it was the property of the irrigation department but the SHO refused to enter the plot and said an FIR needed to be registered first. He also stated Mir gave land grabbers Rs1.6 million in return for the plot.
According to the SDO, a few years ago, land grabbers had appealed to the court for ownership of some part of the plot after forging ownership documents, but the court had ruled in favour of the irrigation department and dismissed the grabbers’ claim. Both the irrigation department as well as the police are certain of Mir’s involvement in the case but this has not been recorded in the initial report.
The other side
When contacted, SHO Jan said two people were arrested and then released on bail. He said an FIR will only be registered if the irrigation department provides proper documents. “I have asked the land grabbers who claim to own the plot to do the same,” he said.
Jan added a man identified as an Afghan refugee, Usman, might also be involved in the case but has not been nominated in the initial report. Neighbours, requesting anonymity fearing land grabbers’ wrath, claimed the plot was in fact the storeroom of the irrigation department. “Usman would often visit the tube-well operator,” one of the neighbours said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2015.