At their mercy: Chakwal admin struggling to check land grabbing
Number of residents who bought land in good faith want govt to compensate them.
Number of residents who bought land in good faith want govt to compensate them.
CHAKWAL:
A number of provincial governments have failed to address the issue of land grab in Chakwal District that has lingered on for the past few decades.
The current district administration finds itself in a tough battle with land grabbers as many of them have got stay orders from local courts against government demolishing their properties illegally constructed over public land.
Moreover, a number of residents of Chakwal have appealed to the provincial revenue department to make an alternative plan to compensate the people who have paid millions of rupees to various property owners in good faith who are now accused of being part of land mafia.
Hundreds of kanals of state land in Chakwal district is occupied by land grabbers, influential enough to stop the district administration from trying to recover the land.
The district administration launched a crackdown against illegal occupations in Talagang on January 22.
Following the crackdown and demolition of hundreds of shops and plazas, illegally constructed over government land in Talagang, traders and shopkeepers of Chakwal city approached the court beforehand to get stay orders against planned operation.
According to the documents available with Daily Express, a total of 5,000 kanal of government land—including 2,200 kanal in urban area and 2,800 kanal in rural parts of Chakwal District —is occupied by land grabbers and encroachers.
However, before the district administration launched an operation in Chakwal city, more than 20 people of Bhoun Road approached the civil court for stay order against the operation. The civil judge, Hasnain Anwar, accepted the petitions on Thursday and issued stay orders.
The court has also issued notices to Chakwal Town Municipal Administration (TMA), Department of Highway and Revenue Department through Chakwal district coordinator officer (DCO) to submit their replies in the next hearing, which will be held on February 20.
Asim Aleem Hashmi, a petitioner, through his council approached the court stating that he had presented his property documents to the district administration several times but the administration was bent upon bulldozing his property, worth millions.
Many other people have also taken stay orders from the court till February 16.
The district administration said on Friday that the operation against land grabber had been completed in Talagang and would now be expanded to other parts of Chakwal District.
There are many influential people who have transferred hundreds of kanals of government land to their name and earned millions of rupees by selling the property to others.
History
Land grabbing in Chakwal district continues for the past over five decades. The first inquiry committee, in this regard, was constituted in 1981 on the complaint of a local resident.
The committee, in that instance, confirmed the land transfer was bogus, and suspended transfer documents.
However, the influential grabbers approached the high court and took a stay order.
Later, in 1991 the case was transferred to then Chakwal Deputy Commissioner, Dr Liaquat Ali Khan, on the directions of former premier Benazir Bhutto. Khan made a comprehensive plan to start operation against land mafia, however even before the commissioner could launch the operation, he was transferred from his post.
(Translated by Shazia Mehboob)
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2016.
A number of provincial governments have failed to address the issue of land grab in Chakwal District that has lingered on for the past few decades.
The current district administration finds itself in a tough battle with land grabbers as many of them have got stay orders from local courts against government demolishing their properties illegally constructed over public land.
Moreover, a number of residents of Chakwal have appealed to the provincial revenue department to make an alternative plan to compensate the people who have paid millions of rupees to various property owners in good faith who are now accused of being part of land mafia.
Hundreds of kanals of state land in Chakwal district is occupied by land grabbers, influential enough to stop the district administration from trying to recover the land.
The district administration launched a crackdown against illegal occupations in Talagang on January 22.
Following the crackdown and demolition of hundreds of shops and plazas, illegally constructed over government land in Talagang, traders and shopkeepers of Chakwal city approached the court beforehand to get stay orders against planned operation.
According to the documents available with Daily Express, a total of 5,000 kanal of government land—including 2,200 kanal in urban area and 2,800 kanal in rural parts of Chakwal District —is occupied by land grabbers and encroachers.
However, before the district administration launched an operation in Chakwal city, more than 20 people of Bhoun Road approached the civil court for stay order against the operation. The civil judge, Hasnain Anwar, accepted the petitions on Thursday and issued stay orders.
The court has also issued notices to Chakwal Town Municipal Administration (TMA), Department of Highway and Revenue Department through Chakwal district coordinator officer (DCO) to submit their replies in the next hearing, which will be held on February 20.
Asim Aleem Hashmi, a petitioner, through his council approached the court stating that he had presented his property documents to the district administration several times but the administration was bent upon bulldozing his property, worth millions.
Many other people have also taken stay orders from the court till February 16.
The district administration said on Friday that the operation against land grabber had been completed in Talagang and would now be expanded to other parts of Chakwal District.
There are many influential people who have transferred hundreds of kanals of government land to their name and earned millions of rupees by selling the property to others.
History
Land grabbing in Chakwal district continues for the past over five decades. The first inquiry committee, in this regard, was constituted in 1981 on the complaint of a local resident.
The committee, in that instance, confirmed the land transfer was bogus, and suspended transfer documents.
However, the influential grabbers approached the high court and took a stay order.
Later, in 1991 the case was transferred to then Chakwal Deputy Commissioner, Dr Liaquat Ali Khan, on the directions of former premier Benazir Bhutto. Khan made a comprehensive plan to start operation against land mafia, however even before the commissioner could launch the operation, he was transferred from his post.
(Translated by Shazia Mehboob)
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2016.