FAISALABAD, July 7: The district police chief who faces departmental inquiries for illegally acquiring a piece of land through the police welfare fund is going ahead with his plan of setting up a housing society for policemen.

Having links with an influential political family of the Punjab, DPO Zafar Abbas Lak is undeterred by departmental inquiries. He is also violating the order of a probe committee which had asked him to retrieve the money spent from the police welfare fund.

In a fresh move on Monday, Mr Lak got 1,676 marlas of land transferred in favour of the Faisalabad Police Welfare Society without fulfilling the codal requirements — criteria laid down by the Faisalabad Development Authority, Tehsil Municipal Administration (city), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), WASA, SNGPL, the Board of Revenue.

Moreover, he has got no permission from the Inspector General of Police, Punjab, and the home department.

The rights of the ownership of land in favour of the FPWS were transferred by Abdul Hameed Puri, against a payment of Rs26 million, in addition to Rs 1.3 million on account of stamp duty.

The amount (Rs26 million) was paid vide various cheques — cheque No 32521609 worth Rs2.3 million dated 16.04.2003 and drawn on HBL, Agriculture University branch, account No 1127-11; cheque No 707074 worth Rs6.5 million dated 16.04.2003 account No 12473-1 drawn on NBP city branch; cheque No 893501 amounting to Rs1.2 million dated 16.04.2003 account No 12288-6 NBP city branch; cheque No 700196 amounting to Rs 0.2 million dated 05-06-2003 account No 12295-7 of NBP city branch; cheque No 707075 amounting Rs 1.9 million dated 05-06-2003 of account No 12473-1 NBP city branch; cheque No 297040 worth Rs 3.9 million dated 05.06.2003 of account No 7930-8 NBP city branch; and cheque No 0185178 amounting to Rs10.03 million dated 07.07.2003 account No 12473-1 NBP city branch. The entire amount has been paid from the police welfare fund.

According to police sources, the fund is meant to run welfare-oriented activities for lower cadre policemen — extending financial help to the families of those policemen who die during encounters or on duty in accidents, grants for marriages and education of their children.

This fund is not meant for developing and purchasing land for any housing scheme. There is no legislation permitting any police officer to develop such housing schemes. Neither such activities and functions fall under the purview of the police ordinance 2001, and the police rules.

Although the land for housing scheme is claimed to be purchased for Rs26 million at the rate of Rs 15,534 per marla, the rate of land determined by the revenue authorities for Sidhupura area is Rs 3,800 per marla.

A story about this housing scheme appeared in Dawn on June 10, 2003, highlighting various irregularities and discrepancies.

In the meantime, Faisalabad Range DIG Altaf Qamar reported the issue to the IGP, who appointed a two-member fact-finding committee comprising additional IG Khalid Latif and DIG (Welfare) Jawed Noor.

The DPO failed to satisfy the committee about payment of Rs16 million which he had allegedly paid to the owners of the land. On receipt of report of the fact-finding committee, the IGP formally constituted a regular inquiry committee under additional IGP, special branch, Saadatullah Khan, with CID DIG Tariq Khosa, development AIG Khan Beg and Finance AIG Asghar Raza Gardezi as its members.

Reportedly, the DPO conceived a plan for the development of police housing society in Chak No 123-JB (Sidhupura) adjacent to the Punjab industrial estate on an area of 83 kanal 16 marlas. This area is a notorious suburb of the city for having a long history of old enmities, leading to murders within families dominated by the Rajputs.

The DSP (headquarters) police lines was given the task of selling the application forms and collection of applications with 20 per cent of the total amount as advance, with the rest to be paid in six instalments in 18 months.

According to terms and conditions, all employees of the police department are entitled to apply on prescribed forms on payment of Rs100.

It is interesting to note here that the local police chief had earlier stated that the proposed site for police housing scheme had been purchased in April, 2003. However, it was transferred on Monday in favour of police welfare society.