Disputed land: Town and jail lock horns over cattle market
Up to Rs10 million can be made from the rent.
HYDERABAD:
As a town municipal administration and prison authorities slug it out over the ownership of a piece of land, the city’s largest cattle market for Eidul Azha appears for now to be on shaky ground.
The plot, spread over 9.3 acres, with estimated worth of around Rs20 billion, is located on the right bank of the Phuleli Canal on Halanaka road. The problem is that the TMA of City taluka and both Central Jail, Hyderabad claim they own it. The jail has physical possession of it for now.
The land hosts the biggest animal market with around 200,000 livestock brought to be sold over 10 days. The second biggest cattle market is set up on GCT ground in Latifabad but that land has yet to be drained of the rainwaters.
“For 25 years, until 2010, the land remained in documentary as well as physical possession of the municipal authorities,” said TMA City Administrator Dr Asif Rizvi at a press conference. According to him, the municipal corporation had purchased it from the revenue department in 1985 for Rs1.7 million.
“The land was bought to build a bus terminal whose construction, however, did not materialize for some reasons,” he added. The TMA earned Rs8.5 million in 2010 for ten days’ rent paid by organisers of the cattle market. This year they expected Rs10 million. Currently, the land is being used by buses that pay meagre charges amounting to Rs2.4 million collected over 355 days of the year.
Muhammad Akram Rajput, who accompanied Rizvi, alleged that the TMA staff was forced out from the land by personnel in plainclothes in August. He accused Hyderabad DPO Pir Farid Jan Sarhindi of supporting his cousin Pir Shabbir Jan Sarhindi who is the jail superintendent. “The two men want to pocket the money the TMA earns from the land,” he alleged. Jail superintendent Pir Shabbir Jan Sarhindi was not immediately available to present his side of the story.
On the other hand, the jail maintains that it owns the land since the prison was built in 1885. “The prison used to cultivate crops on this land,” says Abdul Razzak Abbasi, the deputy superintendent. He said the land dispute is sub-judice but the TMA is trying to build up pressure on the jail authorities. “They would like to have that land for at least ten days so that they can earn millions from the cattle market.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2011.
As a town municipal administration and prison authorities slug it out over the ownership of a piece of land, the city’s largest cattle market for Eidul Azha appears for now to be on shaky ground.
The plot, spread over 9.3 acres, with estimated worth of around Rs20 billion, is located on the right bank of the Phuleli Canal on Halanaka road. The problem is that the TMA of City taluka and both Central Jail, Hyderabad claim they own it. The jail has physical possession of it for now.
The land hosts the biggest animal market with around 200,000 livestock brought to be sold over 10 days. The second biggest cattle market is set up on GCT ground in Latifabad but that land has yet to be drained of the rainwaters.
“For 25 years, until 2010, the land remained in documentary as well as physical possession of the municipal authorities,” said TMA City Administrator Dr Asif Rizvi at a press conference. According to him, the municipal corporation had purchased it from the revenue department in 1985 for Rs1.7 million.
“The land was bought to build a bus terminal whose construction, however, did not materialize for some reasons,” he added. The TMA earned Rs8.5 million in 2010 for ten days’ rent paid by organisers of the cattle market. This year they expected Rs10 million. Currently, the land is being used by buses that pay meagre charges amounting to Rs2.4 million collected over 355 days of the year.
Muhammad Akram Rajput, who accompanied Rizvi, alleged that the TMA staff was forced out from the land by personnel in plainclothes in August. He accused Hyderabad DPO Pir Farid Jan Sarhindi of supporting his cousin Pir Shabbir Jan Sarhindi who is the jail superintendent. “The two men want to pocket the money the TMA earns from the land,” he alleged. Jail superintendent Pir Shabbir Jan Sarhindi was not immediately available to present his side of the story.
On the other hand, the jail maintains that it owns the land since the prison was built in 1885. “The prison used to cultivate crops on this land,” says Abdul Razzak Abbasi, the deputy superintendent. He said the land dispute is sub-judice but the TMA is trying to build up pressure on the jail authorities. “They would like to have that land for at least ten days so that they can earn millions from the cattle market.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2011.