LAHORE: LDA retrieves plots worth millions in 3 months

DCO demands setting up of a computerised system to seal records
Sehar Nasim/Sahar Amjad
District Coordination Officer Sajjad Ahmad Bhutha Wednesday said hundreds of LDA plots worth millions of rupees have been retrieved from land grabbers in the last three months.

He further said that land mafia gets photocopies of the forms of LDA titled documents to prepare and forge papers of any vacant plot for vested interests.

Regarding investigative reports on land grabbing in the provincial metropolis, he said since the inception of the new provincial government, efforts were being made to remove encroachments of illegal possession from land mafia groups.

He said the land grabbers on selling demand lesser cash as compared to the property's market value, luring in the poor, to then deliver the documents to the victim's house lest he does on to the LDA office.

He suggested records of LDA schemes be computerized like DHA Lahore/ Islamabad and separate copies placed in three different locations i.e. in office of LDA as well as in a locker in a bank. "Unnecessary delaying formalities must be removed to mark the creditability of LDA," he added.

To a question, he said the procedure of placing files from one desk to another 'is old,' and added that the rise of property prices also acts as a main reason of missing files. Thousands of files have already been removed from the LDA record, he averred.

On the murder of three LDA officers, he said the matter 'is for the police department,' though added that after a lapse of more than 10 years, 'the accused remain at large.'

He told reporters that a number of proposals have been suggested to review the present system to facilitate the general public.

He lashed out at the 'approach and bribe' practice, 'which he added continues to be the main hindrance towards honest workings.

"Land grabbing is common now-a-days because since the last few years, none of the government institute paid any attention towards the issue," he said, adding that the matter has even claimed many a lives. During the past four decades, every vacant space, especially in the downtown areas of Lahore, has been taken over by land grabbers and small time purveyors. And the citizens, who have illegally occupied state land 'are creating problems for other people, the fresh and dry fruit sellers, vendors of eatables and other items of daily use, temporary workshop owners and others, not to exclude the shopkeepers in overcrowded markets, who have extended their shops at the expense of pedestrians.'

So far, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) initiated land inspection of all approved housing schemes after finding massive irregularities including the sale of plots allocated for educational institutions, hospitals, parks and graveyards just for the convenience of citizens.

Reportedly, since the early 1950s, the military had acquired acres of land throughout the country for distribution to serving and retired armed forces personnel but in actuality were involved in land grabbing. This monopolization of resources continued unfairly in a country where about 30 million peasants remain landless, a fact which has been ignored by the state.

In that aspect, the military, including its serving and retired members believed that the distribution of land amongst military personnel, particularly within the various housing schemes, denotes the defence establishment's superior capacity at managing resources, a system of merit to reward officials. However, the system does not explain how most senior officers have numerous properties worth millions of rupees in their hands.

Moreover, the Cantonment area in Lahore, which up until the early 1980s, comprised a large segment of army training grounds and firing ranges, has been almost entirely converted into a residential area. In effect, army exercise and training grounds were converted from public to private use without the consent of the government or the public for whose safety the land was initially provided. This was, of course, done through an internal decision-making process rather than through consultations with the government. In fact, as history proves, decisions involving major military housing projects have always been made when the Parliament is not in session.

LDA officials marked land grabbers as influential and resourceful, who enjoy powerful backings including that of the police, which help them get the possession of the property, the revenue officers who give in the forged documents, and lawyers who help them retain the legal possession.

In the presence of the Illegal Dispossession Act, 2005 and remedies under the Specific Relief Act, 1877, it remains a shame that the most of genuine owners and buyers of property are forced to lose their property to these land grabbers.

Insiders said the DG showed a great concern over d irregularities in the first scheme being established on 25,000 kanal on the left side of Lahore-Raiwind Road and the second scheme spanning over Ferozepur Road over an area of 200,000 kanal, which is almost eight times bigger than the Johar Town Housing Scheme. Both the schemes consisting of 210,000 plots would have 36 percent of three-marla plots for low-income people.

Mian Shahbaz Sharif after taking oath of his office announced to eradicate the evil of land grabbing from the province and in this regard issued strict instructions to LDA authorities to make LDA's grand operation a success.

With a view to foil activities of land grabbers, prevent encroachments and discourage illegal constructions, the staff of LDA Estate Management Directorate also held a flag march in Johar Town, Allama Iqbal Town and other LDA housing schemes.

Regarding the loss of thousands of files looted from LDA records during the 90's, thousands of people in LDA and other departments belonged to the Constituency 95 and 96, the area of Gowalmandi, Santnagar and old Lahore on work-charge basis. These peoples were daily paid employees of LDA and posted at lucrative seats in LDA. Their monthly pay was at that time Rs 1,500 per month, but they raked in millions through stolen property files, a theft further exacerbated by the lack of computerized records.

Now the authority has launched an action plan to identify illegal housing schemes in the city, checking the ownership documents of under-construction buildings to curb the activities of land grabbers. Amjad Nazir in Allama Iqbal Town Phase-I, Abdul Jabbar in Allama Iqbal Town Phase-II, controlled areas and private housing schemes, Inam-ud-Din Khan in MA Johar Town Scheme Phase-I, private schemes falling in MA Johar Town, Zia Hussain in MA Johar Town Phase-II, Building Inspector Raza Ali Shah would operate in Sabzazar Scheme while LDA Director General Arfan Ali has formed a special team consisting of LDA officials from the metropolitan planning, town planning and revenue sections to conduct land audit of such schemes.

As Pakistanis, it remains the responsibility of all to pinpoint illegal and unlawful activities.
Courtesy: The Post, 18/9/2008