February 24, 2008	Sunday	Safar 16, 1429

LAYYAH, Feb 23: Around 50 plots out of 61 lying vacant for the past 18 years in a government housing colony here have allegedly been allotted by the housing and physical department officials in collusion with district administration officials to some influential persons at throwaway prices.

Out of these 61, around 10 plots were reserved for widows, clerics and retired government officials, which could not be allotted to the deserving since the inception of the colony.

While the district nazim himself and some of his kin are direct beneficiary of this allotment, a junior clerk of the department has apparently been made ‘scapegoat’ to save the skin of senior officials allegedly involved in the financial scam worth millions of rupees as market value of the land in this housing colony is around Rs80,000 per marla now.

In the past three or four months, 49 plots were allotted to some influential on the price fixed for reserved quota, which was Rs10,000 per marla, and in some cases housing officials allotted the plots against the price fixed for the reserved quota but after accepting additional yet exaggerated gratification up to Rs25,000 per marla.

A local estate agent called the ongoing practice ‘loot sale of plots’ while the district nazim categorically denied the allegations levelled against him.

The housing and physical planning department conceived establishing housing colony No-II on Multan Bypass Road on 53 acres of land in 1990.

After laying infrastructure, including construction of roads and installation of electricity, water supply scheme and sewerage system, the department offered plots of different sizes ranging from three marlas to one kanal to citizens through an open auction.

When the colony was established in 1990, a quota was reserved for professionals, including journalists, advocates and sports men and women beside widows, clerics and the handicapped and retired government officials.

In 1991, the Punjab government modified the quota policy and withdrew the quota to the extent of professionals.

However, the quota reserved for widows, clerics and retired government officials continued to exist, but 61 plots, including some reserved under the quota policy, could not be allotted to any one due to certain undisclosed reasons.

Sources told Dawn that out of these 61 plots, the housing officials in connivance with the head of district administration had allotted 49 plots of three, five, seven and 10 marlas and of one kanals to different people at throwaway prices while some of them were allotted the plots on prices fixed for reserved quota.

While referring to allotment documents, sources said that plot No. 113-A, measuring one kanal and 15 marlas, had been allotted to the district nazim himself while plot No. 127-C measuring 10 marlas to one Nusrat Parveen, who is wife of the district nazim’s brother-in-law and Layyah’s executive district officer literacy, Muhammad Yousaf.

Sources said that plot No. 114-B had been allotted to Rukhsana Naz, who is wife of Naseem Akhtar, an official posted at the office of housing and physical planning department’s director general at Lahore, as gratification to help cover up this whole malpractice.

Similarly, sources continued, plot No. 168-C, 42-C, 141-C, 160-C, 161-C and 158-C had been allotted to Habibur Rehman, Naseem Bagum, Manzoor Hussain, Sardar Khan, Sadia Sardar and Samina Qamar, respectively, on cheaper than the market prices.

Talking to Dawn, Sheikh Nisar Ahmed Zahid, who is regional director of housing and physical planning department at Bhakhar, admitted that some plots had illegally been allotted by a “junior official” of the Layyah’s housing department and legal action had been initiated against him by issuing him a Show-cause notice.

When contacted, colony’s caretaker junior clerk Muhammad Ishaque denied his involvement in any illegal allotment. However, he admitted receiving a show-cause notice.

While commenting on the ongoing business, Shahid Iqbal, a real estate dealer and social worker, said that precious urban land was being sold or disposed of at throwaway prices by local officials and heads of local administration after setting rules and regulations aside.

He demanded that a thorough inquiry be conducted and the officials involved in illegal allotment should be booked and given exemplary punishment.

District Nazim Ghulam Haider Thind, however, categorically denied the allegations suggesting that all the plots had been allotted to different persons on his ‘recommendation’. He said that he might have recommended some one for the allotment of a plot against reserved quota during his stint as MPA from 1990 to 1993.

He admitted that he had visited the office of deputy director housing and physical planning but just to request him to allocate a chunk of land for graveyard for the citizens of Layyah lately in December last.

Dawn learnt that on the request of the district administration, the district housing department has sent a proposal to the director general of the department to allot a three-acre piece of land for the graveyard.