KARACHI, July 3: The Board of Revenue, Sindh, has moved a summary to Chief Minister Ali Mohammed Mahar seeking stoppage of the process of privatization of Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The Board has opposed its privatization on the grounds that the land on which it stood was legally and legitimately owned by the hotel.
The summary, which was moved by the former member of RS&EP, Board of Revenue, asserts that the hotel’s structure could be used for a single place of seating for the provincial government after the building’s handing over to it free from incumbencies, including clearance of banks’ interests amounting to more than Rs1.2 billion.
The BOR also wants the provincial government to seek grant of further special aid from the Centre for the completion of one-window/one-seating of Sindh government in public interest.
The Board has strongly pleaded that an area of around 10,000 square yards be given to the Pakistan Railways for a pacific cause and purpose, i.e. for its operation at use and not for sub-leasing or sub-letting, especially for having societies or a hotel, which is against all land.
It has stressed that by this measure, the Sindh government can dispose of New Sindh Secretariat Building, Tughlaq House, secretariat building on nullah, the barracks spread over 100-acre urban land and certain other properties elsewhere in the metropolis, to see billions of rupees making their way into the coffers of the provincial government.
The BOR, in its letter dated May 21, 2003 and addressed to the CM’s secretary, has proposed a set of terms and conditions pertaining to the land’s ownership. Under the draft agreement between the Board and Pakistan Railways, if the land was not used for specific purpose and cause, it would revert to the successor-in-interest, i.e. Board of Revenue. The PR has no right or vested inalienable authority to dispose of the land, except for a specific purpose and cause, for which it was given the land.
A BOR official claimed that the Board, being the successor-in-interests had the proprietary and vested rights on such properties and the lands belonging previously to the federal or the one-unit governments with-in the territorial limits of Sindh.
“Available record in the Land Utilization Department (LUD), as well as the status, laws, rules, regulations and policies of the government governing disposal of all sorts of land, prove that the above-mentioned land does not belong to Pakistan Railways as per Record of Rights (ROR), as it never stood transferred in the name of the PR.
“Even if it does, the land in question shall revert to the Board of Revenue for reasons that the terms and conditions are being violated.”
Following are the main points of the proposal put forward in this regard: i) Taking over the land, alongwith the structure free from all encumbrances from the federal government; ii) Setting up of a complete Sindh secretariat after technically examining all aspects of the structure; iii) Disposal of New Secretariat building, Tughlaq House, Old KDA House, all barracks belonging to Sindh government and other buildings/plots in a transparent manner.
It has been proposed that a committee be formed to study the proposal keeping all aspects — economic, administrative, technical, financial, legal, etc.— in mind.
Sources said constitution of such a committee was in the offing.—APP
