Hands off: Court permission to be sought before buying land in Galiyat

PESHAWAR:

Allotment of plots to individuals and housing societies without court approval has been banned in light of a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) report which revealed construction and land sale irregularities in Galiyat.

The report, presented to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) by NAB Senior Investigation Officer Lieutenant Col Hussain Ahmad, also stipulates around 80% of land has been encroached. It revealed no laws were followed in the construction of residential and commercial buildings. There are no master plans which are followed and most construction violate building codes.

The PHC was informed many of such houses had been acquired by retired police and army officials, ministers, senators and other influential people.

After hearing the report, Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan issued the order, banning further allotment without the court’s permission. It issued directions to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to form a cabinet committee comprising ministers for forest, environment, irrigation, public health, communication and works, and local government as well as the Galiyat Development Authority director general of investigation.

The committee has been tasked to form a master plan for the construction of any buildings in the Galiyat. It is also meant to investigate the sale of upscale property to people with clout who pass them on to relatives to avoid prosecution. The PHC directed the committee to also look into land or house grabbing.

The CM was directed to see no housing society purchases a plot without requisite permission from the court and to see all above tasks are completed in minimum time.

Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan in his remarks said that Galiyat was a green and picturesque area people visit on holidays; so if the influential people are grabbing land illegally and violating the law for the construction of buildings then where would people go.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th,2013.