BUREWALA
The revenue officers seem to have been ‘opposed’ to the Punjab Chief Minister’s campaign against land grabbers and allegedly involve not only in ‘unlawful’ allotment of state land but also facilitating the land mafia to occupy state land.
One such incident surfaced in Fareed Town EB/517, Burewala where the revenue officers allegedly allotted ‘drainage’ unlawfully to their blue-eyed boy. They also paved the way for the “new allottee” to take occupation of the land with the help of police.
According to details, Burewala Assistant Commissioner Saifullah Sajid, Tehsildar Rana Ejaz, Naib Tehsildar Taqi Shah, Patwari Abdul Khalid Bhutta, Kanungo Mohammad Salim and other officials of the department allegedly “allotted” the land of base line (drainage line) to an influential person of the area.
The locals alleged that these officials first covered the decades-old drainage line by placing sewer pipes and then showed it an empty land so that they could get accomplished their “machination” successfully. The locals claimed that the piece of land which had been “allotted” to the influential man used to be used by the public as a path along the drainage line, adding that the adjacent residents had also made entrance of their houses towards it.
According to the sources, Assistant Commissioner Saifullah Sajid in sheer violation of his authority was busy allotting state land to “qabza groups” unlawfully, without the permission and approval of the Board of Revenue as the authority rests with the Senior Member of the BoR.
On the other hand, the resident of Fareed Town EB/517 while talking to the media said that they had been using the base line as a main road since five decades. They revealed that eight feet broad main sewerage line, catering to needs of the city, was laid there but the AC allegedly allotment the land to his “blue-eyed boy” unlawfully, blocking their entrance to their homes which was against the basic rights of the citizen. They said that the matter was brought into the notice of Vehari DCO Jawad Akram who appointed Additional Collector Rana Salim as inquiry officer but no action could be taken against the powerful “land mafia.”
The affectees warned that in any mishap occurred in the area over the said issue, the entire responsibility would be on the shoulders of the AC and his other subordinates. They also threatened to protest in front of the Chief Minister’s House in Lahore if their demands were ignored.
Meanwhile, when this correspondent contacted AC Saifullah Sajid denied all the allegations, saying that he had done nothing illegal. He said that he just had performed his duty, adding that if anyone had any grievance he should approach the Board of Revenue to get it resolved.