Retrieval of RR funds after scandal a daunting task

Punjab govt had suspended the project following the discovery of the scam

RAWALPINDI:

The matter of retrieving funds worth billions of rupees paid to landowners for land acquisition in the Ring Road project scandal has seen no recovery even after four months.

After the corruption in the project was revealed in April, the Punjab government suspended the project. Currently, a high-level committee formed by the Punjab government is probing into the scandal but no method has been devised to retrieve more than Rs3 billion paid to landowners for the land acquisition.

Sources said that it has been more than three months that new officials replaced those who were nominated in the corruption scandal.

In this regard, a district official privy to the matter told The Express Tribune that getting back the spent amount from the landowners is becoming a daunting task.

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Speaking about the roadmap, he said that the revenue department would send notices to the ex-owners to return the money and regain possession of their lands. However, he admitted that it wasn’t such an easy task.

The official said that an inquiry into the case was under way while recollection of the funds is a lengthy and difficult process. He hoped that the administration would soon find a solution to the problem.

According to details, former Land Acquisition Collector (LAC) Wasim Tabish had acquired lands in Attock loop and Rawalpindi.

The Punjab government had released two separate awards for the acquisition of both lands. After news of the scandal has surfaced, the recovery of the amount spent on acquisition and transfer of lands turned into a complex issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2021.