May 15, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

MUZAFFARGARH, May 14: The revenue and social welfare departments are at loggerheads after revenue authorities on Tuesday night stopped construction work on the building of Darul Aman (shelter house) on a 15-kanal chunk of land which had reportedly been allotted to a sensitive agency.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Tariq Javed Malik has taken cognisance of the dispute and directed the district officer (revenue) to probe into the matter and send him a report within three days.

Earlier, the executive district officer (community development) had moved the DCO to take an action against the deputy district officer (revenue) for ordering raiding the under-construction building of the shelter house and razing its boundary wall.District Social Welfare Officer Asad Jaffery told Dawn that his team was constructing the new building of Darul Aman near Yadgar Club. He said they had got approval of the building of shelter house at this site from former district nazim Sardar Qayyum Jatoi, and the social welfare department approved and released the requisite funds.

He said the construction was initiated just a week ago after fulfilling all legal requirements, but DDO (R) G.M. Riaz Kakar sent a revenue team consisting of patwaris and some private people on Tuesday night and ordered them to raze the structure raised so far. The revenue team raided the site and demolished the boundary wall.

Jaffery said when his department knew about this, they moved EDO (community development) Khair Mohammad Budh for action against G.M. Riaz and pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.

Sources told Dawn that G.M. Riaz wanted the construction to be carried out initially under his supervision. They said the DDO (R) had allegedly been involved in Sardar Kouray Khan’s land scam. He has been enjoying uninterrupted stay as government servant in this district for the past around 15 years and has been the staff officer of former DCO and former EDO (R) and the registrar.

EDO (CD) Khair Mohammad Budh said he had sent a report to DCO Tariq Javed Malik for appropriate action against G.M. Riaz.

He said the 15 kanals and two marlas of land was donated by the district council two years ago to construct the shelter house.

When contacted, G.M. Riaz said he had ordered halting the construction work and not razing the building because a sensitive agency was owner of the disputed land as the revenue department had allotted this land to it on a 50-year lease.

The DDO (R) said the social welfare department had no documentary evidence establishing its ownership over the dispute land.

The district nazim could not have allotted the land to anyone because he did not have any such authority. At the most, the nazim could have recommended to the revenue department which had the sole authority to further allot it to any other department or not.

He said the community development department had already allotted the land meant to build Darul Aman to the Anti-Corruption Establishment, which had constructed its office there around five years ago. DCO Tariq Javed Malik said he had taken notice of the development and had directed DO (R) Muhammad Ashraf Yousafi to investigate it and report him back within 72 hours.