LAHORE: Many Model Town residents are complaining that the spaces reserved in the original plan for green belts and parks were fast disappearing. They allege that the encroachers had support of the Model Town Society (MTS) administration.
About 70 to 80 kanals land reserved for parks and grounds has been allotted by the current MTS administration to non-residents, said Tamkinet Karim, a resident. She said that some greenbelts had also been encroached upon.
Another resident alleged that an MTS employee had illegally occupied plots in Blocks A and B. He said an employee had built a house on a greenbelt in D-block and a plot in J-block, reserved for a park, had been encroached upon by another.
An MTS board member, on conditions of anonymity, said that several properties including land for a riding club were leased out without issuing tenders.
Nousheen, another resident, said several parks were being used as sports grounds and marriage centres. “None of these places have proper leases. The administration did not issue tenders,” she said. She said residents had lodged several complaints with the MTS administration but no action had so far been taken against these encroachments.
Dr Tanveerul Hassan Zubairi, the MTS vice president, rejected allegations that the board was supporting the encroachers. He admitted that there were some violations of by-laws. Those responsible for these, he said, had connections in political parties and land mafias.
Zuberi said, “The MTS doesn’t lacks the authority to take coercive action against these encroachers.”
Model Town Residents Association (MTRA) president Aamer Azam, rejected that the MTS did not have powers to evict encroachers. He said the MTS was responsible for managing the affairs of the society. Besides evicting the encroachers, he said, the MTS had powers to impose fines.
Azam said the MTS had between 300 and 400 security guards.
These, he said, could be used to take action against the encroachers. He added that the MTS would never do that because several of its employees were colluding with the encroachers.
He said that the MTRA had filed six cases against encroachments and illegal commercialisation against the MTS. These were pending in the courts, he added.
An occupant of a house built in alleged violation of the by-laws near the cricket field in sector-A said the plot had been allotted 20 years ago to his father on account of his services for the society.
Another occupant of a house built in violation of the by-laws said he had been living there for several years. He refused to reveal the identity of the person who had allotted the plot to him.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2011.
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