March 06, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 16, 1428

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NAROWAL, March 5: DCO Tahir Yousaf on Monday directed EDO (revenue) Anwer Aziz to submit him a report in two days positively regarding the alleged involvement of the suspended market committee administrator in a financial jiggery-pokery that caused a loss of millions of rupees to the national kitty.

Earlier, the DCO had given a week’s time for the submission of the report, but the EDO (R) could not complete the inquiry even after a fortnight.

Reports said that administrator Rana Umar Draz had sold out the market committee property in connivance with the staff and the sub-registrar in utter violation of rules and regulations.

It was further revealed that the price of several sold out properties was not deposited with the market committee accounts. After an initial inquiry, the agriculture department had suspended the market committee administrator some 15 days back.

It was learnt that Umar Draz had disposed of a number of plots and shops to his favorites at a throwaway price without auction and meeting other legal procedures.

In the main, the property prices in the sale deeds were much less than the notified value for the transfer of property and its registration.

Sub-registrar Shakir Sindhu, who was responsible to deposit government fees according to the notified schedule, allegedly allowed the sale deeds registration at prices far below the official value. He was also required to demand the NOC by the Punjab government and the auction notice before the registration of sale deeds, but he willfully set the law at defiance.

Saeed Hashmi, the new market committee administrator, said that a departmental inquiry into the scam was under way. He said the anti-corruption department would also take up the matter shortly.

Rana Umar Draz claimed that what he did was in accordance with the law as he was duly authorised to dispose of the market committee property.

The suspended administrator said that he had executed 32 sale deeds on the price below the notified value of the property merely on the demand of traders.

He said the secretary and the inspector of the committee would be held responsible in case of any corruption. He vehemently said that he would soon be acquitted of all charges.

Sub-registrar Shakir Sindhu termed all allegations leveled against him baseless. He claimed that the administrator and the secretary were involved in the corruption.

EDO (R) Anwar Aziz said that he was probing into the matter and had already cancelled the registration of two sale deeds.