Fate of controversial cinema to be settled

TMA and Rose Cinema administration in row over 'rightful' possession of the land.

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Board of Revenue will decide the fate of the disputed land adjacent to District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) on November 15. Both the parties, Rose Cinema management and Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), have been in a row over “rightful” possession of the land.

The Rose cinema administration claimed that it was the sole owner of the 1.7 kanals of land adjacent to DHQ and it had not signed any lease agreement with the TMA. However, officials from TMA claimed that the Rose Cinema land was let-out on a 33-year lease, which had expired a few months back.

They also said that after recovering the land from Rose Cinema, it would be allotted to DHQ on a 99-year lease. These claims were reconfirmed by the DHQ administration, which said that Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had already directed the concerned departments to take necessary steps to hand over the piece of land currently occupied by Rose Cinema. The CM has directed to establish a children’s ward over there, said an official from the administration.

Furthermore, Town Officer Finance Shahzad Nasir said that the contract with Rose Cinema had expired. “Due to the contract, Rose Cinema was compelled to pay the rent to TMA. They cannot prove their ownership of the land, because it belong s to the TMA,” he added.

Speaking about the hearing with Punjab Board of Revenue, he said, “We would apprise the board with these facts.”

Responding to these claims, Farooq Mohiuddin, managing partner of Rose Cinema, said that the TMA had been getting rent from them through “blackmailing.”

“Whenever we resisted the payment, TMA would threaten to demolish the cinema building,” he said.

Elaborating on their claim to the land, he said, “This cinema was handed over to our family after partition, against our claims of ownership of Rialto Cinema in Amritsar, India. The then Chief Settlement Commissioner, Rawalpindi, had transferred Rose Cinema land to my family in 1960.”

“We got permanent transfer deed from the settlement department after paying the outstanding amount in 1972,” he added.

Responding to a question, he said there was no lease agreement between the Rose Cinema administration and TMA.

Khursheed Iqbal, another partner, said that the TMA had sealed the cinema several times in the past on the issue of non-payment of rent. “We had no other option but to keep paying rent to the TMA, so that we could run our business,” he said.

Town Municipal Office (TMO) Shahzad Haider told The Express Tribune that after the final decision of Board of Revenue, TMA would decide whether the land should be given to the hospital or not.

On the other hand, Dr Iran Khildi from DHQ, said, “If Rose Cinema land is given to us, we will establish an orthopedic ward, urology ward and extension of existing gynecology ward over there.” He added that the limited space of the hospital was a huge concern for the patients and the administration.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2010.