Flood rehabilitation: Govt scheme only allots land to Muslims

Residents say Punjab government has not kept the constitutional quota for minorities.

KOT ADDU:

Hameed Masih and all other non-Muslims in Kot Addu, who lost their houses in the floods last year, remain homeless despite a scheme by the Punjab government to allocate land to residents in the area.

Hameed says the provincial government has not set a quota for members of minority communities, who were left homeless by the devastating floods.

The government has launched four schemes in Kot Addu under which around 435 plots of 5-marlas (151 square yards) each are to be distributed among people who lost their property in the floods. Several people were allotted land last month and so far, no minority member has been given land.

“Christians in this area are not rich people. They lost their houses and lands in the floods and should have been given five per cent quota in the scheme. Flood victims could have been easily accommodated, but the quota system has not been followed because of which no minority member has been allotted land,” Hameed told The Express Tribune.

“The aid distribution was fair.  There were some problems in the beginning but then minority members protested and the issue was resolved,” he said. Hameed said Christian families in his village are receiving monthly stipends through Watan Cards. “The list of homeless people was prepared by local patwaris [land revenue officers] who were not fair in doing their job,” said another Christian.

Sarwar Masiih said he does not have property and does menial work for a living, but his name was not included in the list by the patwari. “Patwaris had to refer our names to higher authorities, but the names of those who could not make them “happy” were not included in the list. My name was not in the list so I had no hope of getting land, though being homeless I fulfill the criteria,” he said.

The areas where plots have been allotted include Gurmani Sharki, Jandeer Dueaja, Chak 568 and Chowk Sarwar Shaheed. There are some 8,500 registered voters of minorities, mostly Christians and Hindus, in the area. The population of minorities in these areas is said to be around 18,000.

“This is not a case of discrimination, but bad management. Several people, who have been allotted plots under this scheme, already have plenty of resources and land, while those who do not have property have been ignored,” said Wasim, a Christian by faith and minorities coordinator of Kot Addu.

There is one person who owns 22 acres of agricultural land, but has been allotted land under the scheme,” he said.

Napoleon Qayyum, a minority rights activist, said that under the constitution, minorities should be given five per cent quota in all schemes launched by the government, adding that the Punjab government should adhere to that.

Officials from the local administration responded to the allegations by saying they did not directly have anything to do with flood rehabilitation, adding that plots were allotted to homeless people through a lucky draw.

Chaudhary Ehsanul Haq Nolatia, a local MPA from Kot Addu said:  “A committee was formed to look into the allotment. It is true that the government did not allocate any special quota for minorities in the scheme, but the plots were distributed through a draw. However, I will take up this issue in the Punjab Assembly.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2011.