Prime Murree land worth billions of rupees grabbed

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Wednesday, January 27, 2010
By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most treasured but fast dwindling forest in Murree is faced with a daredevil day-light robbery as the authorities have found 15,000 kanals of reserved forest land, worth tens of billions of rupees, encroached and even the Punjab Chief Minister so far looks ineffective.

Documentary evidence and background interviews reveal that nearly less than half of the total forestland in Murree has been demarcated by the authorities fearing that once the whole demarcation is completed, the total size of the encroached land may double.

Apparently powerful Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif’s resolve to get the encroached land vacated from the encroachers seems fading amid reports that encroachers have made the right inroads in the Punjab government in a bid to get the encroached land under their possession or to get it exchanged or purchase it on throw away prices.

PML-N MNA from the area, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi disclosed to this correspondent that some revenue officials in Murree had stolen the revenue record in the past and fled the country to pave the way for the encroachers to rob the forestlands of Murree.

The provincial bureaucracy, dealing with the Murree forest, is under immense pressure from left, right and centre to do the undoable though the Chief Minister Punjab has yet to pass his command. Without the knowledge of the chief minister Punjab, the encroachers have maneuvered to get the Murree District Forest Officer (DFO) transferred twice during the last few months.

However, after the timely intervention of some members of the bureaucracy and the likes of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the PML-N MNA from Murree, the DFO has been allowed to continue, though temporarily.

Interestingly the DFO Murree M Javed Gill is being made the target for launching the demarcation of forestland and recovering at least 5,000 kanals of encroached land out of the total 15,000 kanals so far identified. Sources said that the DCO Rawalpindi and Secretary Forest Punjab are also on the hit list of the encroachers for not cooperating with them.

The secretary to the Punjab chief minister told The News that it was the government initiative to find out and retrieve the encroached land. He said, “We will go by the book and show no leniency to any encroacher.”

Many people have built buildings without getting no objection certificates from the forest authorities, and are influencing the Punjab government for exchange of land in lieu of area encroached.

Documents show the authorities are insisting that such a proposal is not covered under the law and if it is allowed, it would mean issuing a death warrant for the forests of Murree. “The influence of concerned offenders and their abettors and vastness of their tentacles are no secret at all. It is, therefore, requested that a well-planned action at the highest level may be organized in this respect to safeguard the government property as well as its functionaries,” reads a note in an official file.

In a meeting held on Oct 5, 2009 in Murree Government House, also attended by the PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif, it was decided that the whole of the encroached land must be retrieved but on Nov 18, 2009 the DFO got un-ceremonial transfer orders because a day earlier he had declined to issue an NoC. The same transfer order was withdrawn following timely intervention by some political and bureaucratic elements but a month later on Dec 17th a new DFO was posted to Murree, replacing Gill. Again following the similar intervention this transfer order was too held in abeyance.

Secretary Forest Punjab Babar Hasan Bharwana when approached expressed his concern over the massive forestland encroached in the past years. He, however, resolved to retrieve each and every inch of the encroached land and said, “I will not budge to any pressure.” He, however, clarified that there is no pressure from the chief minister.

Sources said that the total forestland in Murree is 24,500 acres out which 11,000 acres have already been demarcated while the remaining 13,500 acres is yet to be demarcated. These sources said that some influential local N-leaguers are also trying to delay the demarcation as they too have grey areas. In one case, a source claimed, preliminary demarcation is said to have shown some local PML-N leaders to have forestland encroached but it was not accepted. The final demarcation is, however, yet to be done to prove how much the N-leaguers have encroached the forestland.

About the remaining demarcation, the Secretary Forest said that he talked to the DCO Rawalpindi, who told him that because of other commitments of revenue officials’ the demarcation work has been delayed.

Amongst the encroachers, the Judicial Town has encroached 275 acres land in Karlot area. The DFO Murree when contacted said that the Judicial Town management has admitted to have 186 kanal encroached but it is also offering exchange of land in lieu of the encroached forestland.

He said that the Forest Department is not willing to accept this because of which the Judicial Town management has gone into writ which is lying pending before the LHC, Rawapindi bench. He said despite repeated requests, the case is not being heard.

He said that the last hearing date of the case was Nov 11, 2008 but even on that date the case was left over and could not be heard by the court. According to the DFO Murree, several housing societies have encroached hundreds of kanals of land.

The encroached forestland includes even the municipal forests that fall in the main Murree city municipal areas. Documents show that a total of 1595 kanals of municipal forestland is under encroachment of 366 persons. The price of the encroached forestland in the municipal area alone goes into tens of billions of rupees. According to experts, misuse of forestland in Murree is a serious threat to the ecological and environmental benefits that the nation draws from these forests.