Printing Corp’s land ‘illegally occupied’

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Hussain Kashif

LAHORE: Land grabbers – in collaboration with police and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) officials – have occupied state land valued at Rs 216 million and reserved for the Printing Corporation of the Pakistan Press Lahore (PCPPL) in Gulshan Ravi’s Industrial Block, Bund Road, Daily Times has learnt.

Although the value of the property in official records is only Rs 2.4 million, its price as commercial plots in the open market is more than Rs 216 million.

A property dealer, Chaudhry Shabbir, said commercial and industrial property rates in the area were hovering around Rs 18,000,000 per 0.125 acre.

PPCPPL Manager Muhammad Rafique told Daily Times that the land grabbers – after “setting up camp” at three plots of 0.5 acres each a week ago – had started selling goats on the site, since the cattle market was located close to the area, with goat and cattle sales at their peak because of Eidul Azha.

Rafique said he personally told Gulshan Ravi SHO Rana Taseer Riaz of the situation and also filed an application on November 12 demanding protection, but “to no avail”.

He said he also informed Punjab IG Tariq Saleem Dogar and Chief Secretary Javed Mahmood about the illegal occupation of the plots – No 7,8 and 9 in the Industrial Block – the same day. He said the IG marked the application for the Gulshan Iqbal SP, and “the official procedure is now underway”.

According to Rafique’s letter to the Punjab IG, “Some unidentified people have occupied Plots No 7, 8 and 9 … in Industrial Block, Gulshan Ravi Scheme, Bund Road, which belong to the printing press. A complaint was accordingly lodged with Gulshan Ravi SHO, but the SHO has not taken any action”.

The PCPPL manager also asked the Punjab IG to get the property evicted, otherwise the “government may lose a valuable asset”.

The Gulshan Ravi SHO was not available for comment.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_6