Rawalpindi: Good riddance: Ouster of land mafia from Chinar Park

[Naveed Yaseen]

Shakeel Anjum
Children residing in Satellite Town’s F-Block finally got back their park when the Tehsil Municipal Administration got it vacated from the clutches of the powerful land mafia here on Tuesday on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

According to the Tehsil Municipal Administration spokesman, a heavy contingent of police cordoned off the Chinar Park to avoid any untoward situation.

The land mafia had been occupying the park since 2004 and illegally constructed structures there. The park remained under the control of the land mafia despite the Punjab government’s conviction that it was a validly constructed recreational site for children of the locality.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, taking suo moto notice, had ordered the local administration to submit a detailed inquiry report into the occupation of the Chinar Park by the land mafia. The land mafia accelerated the construction work in the park after submission of the inquiry report to the apex court by the local administration.

Following the orders of the CJP, the Rawalpindi division commissioner and district coordination officer submitted an inquiry report, saying that the land grabbers had illegally occupied the Chinar Park.

The Tehsil Municipal Administration press release said that the Rawal Town Administration, the commissioner and the DCO asked it to get vacated the Chinar Park on the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

Its spokesman said that the Enforcement Department of the Tehsil Municipal Administration conducted the clean-up operation under the supervision of Town Officer (Regulation) Aftab Chohan. He said that the heavy machinery of EDO Municipal Services was used in the operation.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=193799