Rawalpindi - A large number of people seeking justice from Additional District Collector Revenue Arif Raheem are running from pillar to post to meet him but the ADCR is always busy in meetings.

Though Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif has strictly ordered the public servants to listen to the public complaints on priority basis during their office hours and hold open courts in order to dispense speedy justice, yet the ADCR has been openly violating the orders of CM by not attending the complainants.

The people say they have been visiting the office of ADCR for the last many months for solution of their genuine land related issues and sit outside his office even for hours but all the time the officer concerned is either found busy in meetings or he is on leave. They demanded the CM to pay surprise visit to the offices of district government to see how the people are being humiliated.

A complainant Shehzad Zafar, 54, a resident of Kamra village of Kotli Sattian, told The Nation yesterday that he has been visiting the offices of ADCR and DCO for last one year but still he is unable to meet him. He said that the local revenue officials allegedly transferred his ancestral land in the names of other influential people by tampering the land record in return of hefty bribe. “I approached Patwari and Tehsildar to correct the land record but all in vain. I then lodged complaint with ADCR Office but here again I am being humiliated,” he said. “I arrived here at 9:00am from Kotli Sattian to appear before ADCR but he is not in office. Now clock is striking 11:30am and ADCR is still out of the office,” Shehzad told. “I cannot come daily here from Kotli Sattian by spending hundreds of rupees,” he added.

Another citizen while seeking anonymity said that he has been visiting the ADCR office for the last two years for correction in his land record but every time he remains unable to meet the ADCR. He added that he sold his 15 kanals of land along Murree Expressway to a man but later got back the property through court. However, the revenue official only transferred 15 marlas of the land in his name that too after taking Rs 50,000 as bribe. “I had lodged a written complaint against the patwari with anti-corruption department but no action was taken against him,” he said. He said that he moved an application with office of ADCR two years ago but the matter was still pending. “I came here at 8:30am and ADCR just came in his office at 10:30am for a few minutes and then again left for some meeting. This is extremely unfair. ADCR always defers hearing in my case and this has been done for last two years. Now enough is enough. I will move an application to the CM against the ADCR,” the citizen said in angry tone.

Muhammad Razeeq, a resident of Taxila, said that he approached the court of ADCR six months ago after the local patwari refused to transfer his mother’s 10 marlas land in his name. In the beginning, the ADCR showed interest in his case and sought report from AC Taxila but now my file has been shelved, he added.

Waqas Mehmood, a student of National Defence University (NDU) who resides in Kotli Sattian, said that he has been visiting the office of ADCR for last five months for correction in his land record but all the time he was sent back by the ADCR by giving a new date for hearing or some time ADCR was not present in his office. “This is ridiculous. The ADCR or other officers should inform the litigants prior about their busy schedule so that the people can be saved from humiliation outside their offices,” he lamented.

An old man Fida Hussain of Chontra was the only old litigant who spoke in favour of ADCR saying, “Arif Raheem is very noble and active officer. He always listens to him carefully,” But Fida Hussain also has some apprehensions against the ADCR. He said that the district government had not appointed any patwari in his village because of which land owners are facing hardships in buying or selling their land. “I requested the ADCR to appoint a patwari in my village but he has not issued orders so far in this regard,” he said.

ADCR Arif Raheem disconnected the call of this correspondent when he was contacted to know his official version on the issue. Later, an SMS was also sent on his cellphone but he did not reply.