HAFIZABAD - The law enforcers have failed to take action against illegal housing societies set up across the district Hafizabad.

Influential persons have set up scores of housing societies by violating the rules and regulations of the government while the authorities concerned have so far failed to take action against the owners of such societies who have been fleecing the public.

According to a survey conducted by this scribe, 27 housing societies and three housing colonies were set up under the jurisdiction of District Council while sixteen in the Municipal Committee Hafizabad area, four in Pindi Bhattian, three in Jalalpur Bhattian and one in Sukheke Mandi. Of which, only one housing colony in Hafizabad MC area has been approved while all others have not been approved by the concerned authorities.

The owners of these housing societies/colonies never bothered to provide infrastructures and other amenities and have sold out plots to the citizens after getting millions of rupees from them. According to insiders, no site plans have so far been approved and all the colonies lack gas, electricity, sewerage, portable water and sanitary staff. Due to ongoing operation against illegal/unauthorised constructions, the owner of such plots who spent millions of rupees have been very much perturbed and disappointed.

Moreover, Low Income Housing colony established by the Housing and Physical Planning Department on Gujranwala Road also lacks most of the amenities. The sanitary condition in the colony is deplorable and streets and roads are in dilapidated condition.

Makrakzi Anjuman Tajran General Secretary Malik Humayun Shahzad demanded prompt legal action against the illegal housing colonies’ owners who had sold out plots and received millions of rupees. However, they failed to provide requisite facilities and force them to provide all facilities in the colonies according to law, he said. He also demanded action against the officials who had unlawfully allowed them to set up such colonies.

Meanwhile, the district administration has launched vigorous campaign against the land grabbers in rural areas. It has so far failed to retrieve 6 acres Auqaf land located on Kolo Road from the illegal possession of some influential persons.

According to official source, six acres land of Auqaf department in front of District Headquarter Hospital Hafizabad worth billions of rupees has been occupied by influential persons in collusion with the officials of the department.

The land grabbers have also constructed shops and houses over the land. Some time ago, the then Deputy Commissioner had ordered the demarcation of the land by constructing pillars and by laying barbed wires but the influential land grabbers constructed shops and houses over the land.

Mehar Shoukat Ali along with dwellers of the area protested against the illegal possession of the land by influential persons and called upon Deputy Commissioner Hafizabad, Commissioner Gujranwala, Director FIA and Chief Minister of the Punjab to retrieve the land from the land grabbers and establish children and gynecological wards as well as a children park there.

On the orders of DPO Hafizabad Saifullah Khan, the city police have arrested two police constables of City Cluster Squad - Tanveer Khalid and Usman - on the charge of arresting a notorious drug peddler and later setting them on free after extorting Rs109,000 from them.

According to police, the accused police constables rounded up notorious drug peddler Bilal alias Billi of Prem Kot during patrolling and seized huge quantity of drugs from them. But later he released them after extracting bribe. After receiving the information, the DPO ordered registration of FIR against the accused.

The police have arrested the accused constables and recovered bribe amount from their possession. The DPO has advised the cops to perform their duties honestly and warned the corrupt policemen that he would show no leniency to them.