Karachi: ‘Land Mafia’ occupies cooperative societies

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Tahir Hasan Khan
A new land scam has emerged in the city, which is said to be run by the members of land mafia in connivance with the officials of Cooperative Department. This scam, which is said to have the blessings of a woman leader of the ruling party, is depriving the members of various housing societies of their land on one pretext or the other.

The News has learnt that these officials have adopted new methods to facilitate the mafia occupy valuable land in more than two dozen cooperative societies.

The Cooperative Department used to post administrators in cooperative housing societies to take control from the elected bodies and the land is then transferred to the builder mafia through questionable procedures.

It may be mentioned that the provincial government had provided land to cooperative societies at the minimum rate of rupee one per square yard in order to facilitate a large number of poor and middle income people, who were the members of these societies.

As per the legal requirements, these members elect their office bearers to run the affairs of the society and for the development of the land. Under the law these societies are responsible to develop their land and are authorized to collect funds from the members for the development of housing societies.

However, The News has learnt that the land mafia and officials of the Cooperative Department have joined hands to occupy valuable land of these societies. The authorities first take control of these societies through posting officials and the nominees of the mafia as administrators and then dissolve the elected bodies on one pretext or the other.

This fraud has been going on for the past six months or so and the poor employees of the Sindh government were not spared either. They were deprived of their valuable land through this modus operandi. The government had allotted land to lower cadre employees through the Sindh Secretariat Cooperative Society.

Another society deprived of its valuable land is the Writers Guild Cooperative Society. Poets and writers are the members of this society. Sources said the Cooperatives Department first took control of this society and later auctioned its commercial land through their inspectors.

Land grabbers and their “official” partners also deprived the members of the Saudabad Cooperative Society, Muradabad Cooperative Society, Dehli Ryan Cooperative Society, Gwalior Cooperative Society, Gulistan Cooperative Society, Timber Cooperative Society and others.

In each case the secretary of the Cooperative Department dissolved the elected bodies of these cooperative housing societies and appointed administrators on one reason or the other.

Later, the authorities sold the commercial land through auction on minimum rates but the proceeds of this sale were not transferred to the accounts of the cooperative societies.

The affected people who lodged complaints were told by the Cooperative Department officials that no action would be taken against the errant officials rather they (the complainants) should worry for their own safety.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=177226