Multan, Oct 12: The Punjab Board of Revenue, taking strict notice of violation of Supreme Court directions regarding illegal allotment of 92 kanal Forest department land in Fatehpur, Layyah district, directed EDO (Revenue) concerned to submit the report within 30 days.

Board member Malik Muhammad Ayub also directed Layyah EDO (R) Zaffar Abbas Lali to take action against karor DDO Maher Aslam Heyat Sial, DDO Malik Mumtaz Hussain, Chobara tehsildar Mian Feyyaz Nadim, and other officials concerned under the Removal From Service Ordinance-2000, for misconduct and going against the public interest.

The member also asked Mr Lali to clear his position in accepting the application of Alam Din and others, the heirs of Kareem Bakhsh, despite Supreme Court’s explicit order declaring the land as green shelterbelt owned by the Forest Department.

The land mafia had sold Rs2,000 million forest department land with the alleged connivance of revenue department officials notwithstanding the declaration of land as green shelterbelt by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Mehr Mohammad Aslam Hayat, Deputy District Officer (Revenue), Karor, transferred and adjusted 112 Kanal land to Kareem Bakhsh on May 25, who sold out the land same day to some influential people and their relatives. All acquirers of the land reportedly belonged to Fatehpur MPA Chaudhry. Altaf Hussain’s group.

Amanat Ali, a resident of Fatehpur had sent applications to Punjab inspector registration, Layyah district nazim, DCO, and DOR against DDOR Mehir Mohammad Hayat Aslam for the illegal land transfer.

Later, Mr Hayat had canceled the allotment on public pressure on May 27, 2006.

The Thal Development Authority allotted 92 Kanal of this land in 1997 to Abida Begam who sold it to Ghulam Nabi in exchange of Rs200,000. later, Abida begum’s allotment was cancelled. On April 23, 2004, the TDA allotted the land to Kareem Bakhsh s/o Shah Din but on May 10, 2004, Fatehpur revenue officer cancelled the allotment once again. Kareem Bakhsh appealed to DDO R Karor against the cancellation of allotment on the same day but on the order of senior member, Board of Revenue, the land was allotted to the TDA.

Despite the apex court orders, the revenue department did not transfer the land to Forest department.

EDO Mr Lali was not available for his comment.