State land: Officials ‘exaggerated’ recovery numbers

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Officials of the city district government and the Revenue Department made false claims about the amount of state land recovered from illegal occupants in presentations to the chief minister and law minister, The Express Tribune has learnt.

According to a presentation made by District Coordination Officer Ahad Cheema in April 2011, 3,331 kanals was recovered during a special campaign against the illegal occupation of state land. This included 1,362 kanals belonging to the provincial government, 1,029 kanals of land that was vacated by refugees that fled at Partition, 17 kanals of Nazul, 906 kanals of land that belonged to the former municipal corporation of Lahore or the city district government, and 17 kanals belonging to other government departments.

The retrieved land included 45 kanals of commercial land worth Rs950 million; 70 kanals and 11 marlas of residential land worth Rs700 million; and 879 kanals and 16 marlas of agricultural land worth Rs220 million. This land was proposed to be sold at auction. Another 1,952 kanals and 19 marlas worth Rs1.14 billion was proposed to be leased, while 384 kanals and 16 marlas worth of Rs1.5 billion was to be used for public purposes.

A verification exercise taken up by Revenue Department following the briefing established that at least 18 pieces measuring 3,006 kanals and 3 marlas were already in government possession. Reports by relevant officials consolidated on May 30, 2011, state that except at some spots the land was never in adverse possession, nor was any permanent or temporary structure, even a boundary wall, built there.

The DCO has not commented on the discrepancy.

The land said to have been recovered in the presentation was 866 kanals and 2 marlas of agricultural land formerly owned by the municipal corporation at Mauza Khud Pur; 17 kanals of residential land of Nazul at Mauza Khokar (Railway Crossing at Ring Road); 33 kanals and 3 marlas of agricultural land of the provincial government at Mauza Manga Othar (Opposite Niaz Baig Canal); 838 kanals of agricultural land of the provincial government at Mauza Manga Hattar (4 km west of Main Stop Manga Mandi); 59 kanals and 19 marlas of agricultural land of the provincial government at Mauza Juggian Lodhray; 108 kanlas and 16 marlas of agricultural land of the provincial government at Nehla (1 km south of Main Stop Manga-Raiwind Road); 8 kanals of federal government land at Mauza Mazang (near the mosque in GOR-II); 49 kanals and 2 marlas of agricultural land of the provincial government at Mauza Maraka (near Bahria Town Maraka); 96 kanals and 13 marlas of agricultural land belonging to the former municipal corporation at Mauza Shahdara (River Ravi bed, Shahdara); 111 kanals of ex-evacuee, agricultural land at Shahdara; 104 kanals and 1 marla of agricultural land of the provincial government at Mauza Shahdara; 89 kanals and 15 marlas of agricultural land of the provincial government at Mauza Shahdara; 453 kanals and 6 marlas of agricultural land of the federal government at Mauza Babu Sabu (River Ravi bed); 53 kanals and 15 marlas of agricultural land of the federal government at Mauza Gunja Kalan (River Ravi bed); 18 kanals of ex-evacuee, agricultural land at Mauza Gunja Kalan (River Ravi bed); 17 kanals of the central government at Mauza Qila Gujjar Singh (near Janki Devi Hospital); 50 kanals of agricultural/residential land of the central government at Mauza Harbanspura; and 13 kanals and 13 marlas of central government land at Mauza Sejhpal.