KARACHI: No action taken against college land grabbers
KARACHI, Feb 18: The National Accountability Bureau, which had started inquiry into land grabbing issue of Hamid Bidayuni Government College, has yet to take action against the land grabbers and officials involved in the corruption.
Eighty per cent of the land belonging to Hamid Bidayuni Government College, the only public sector college in Orangi town, had been occupied but the authorities concerned are yet to take the culprits to task. The land grabbers have constructed shoe market on the occupied land around the college and now have eyed the land lying in front of it, as the college has no boundary walls.
The institution is housed in an old building of Jamia Taleemat-i-Islami near Banaras Chowk on Manghopir Road. Its foundation was laid by late president Muhammad Ayub Khan on September 3, 1962. A 15-acre land was allotted to the institution to establish a modern Islamic learning centre on the pattern of Jamiatul Azhar in Egypt.
After receiving public complaints about the encroachment and keeping in view the historical importance of the building, the Anti-Corruption Establishment Sindh initiated an inquiry into the matter and held officers of the concerned department responsible for allotting the amenity plot for commercial purposes. Despite the clear inquiry of the ACE, no action was taken to save the land and take the responsible persons to task.
The inquiry report along with relevant documents was submitted to the chairman Enquiries & Anti-Corruption Establishment (No SO (AC) 2-12-2000 dated 14-01-2004) for registering case against the accused but no action was taken.
When the Shehri Foundation raised voice against the encroachment, the case was taken up by the National Accountability Bureau for appropriate action. The NAB started inquiry against the accused and it is still under way while the grabbers gradually hold major portion of the land.
Shehri Foundation Sindh General Secretary Tahir Sawati said the inquiry had unearthed corruption of concerned officials with all evidences but the case was not yet registered against the officials. He urged the governor and chief minister to take up this issue seriously and save the college and hundreds of students from being deprived of education by ordering registration of case against the accused as nominated in the ACE inquiry report.—PPI
