HYDERABAD, July 25: The office-bearers of the Hyderabad Railway Employees Cooperative Housing Society have said that the land of the society was its exclusive property, which was meant for the railway employees, and no outsider would be allowed to encroach upon it.

Speaking at a press conference at the Hyderabad Press Club on Friday, the chairman of the Hyderabad Railway Employees Cooperative Housing Society, Matloob Ahmed Khan; its vice chairman, Bostan Khan; and its secretary, Mohammad Mobin Rajput, said that the railway employees were residents of Hyderabad and were registered voters.

They, however, complained that they were being meted out step-motherly treatment.

They said that the Hyderabad Railway Employees Cooperative Housing Society was established in 1978, it was duly registered, and a gazette notification regarding it was issued on July 15, 1978.

They, however, regretted that due to railway officials, the work of the Hyderabad Railway Employees Cooperative Housing Society could not progress.

They said that due to the recent notification issued by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, the interference of railway officials in all the railway housing societies of the country has been stopped.

They, however, said that some touts of the railway officials were trying to create hurdles in the work of the Hyderabad Railway Employees Cooperative Housing Society.

They said that due to the cooperation of the Ministry of Railways, director technical, director land management (railway headquarters, Lahore) and deputy director (land management, Karachi division), the encroachers had been thrown out.

They regretted that the land grabbers were giving a political colour to the drowning of three youngsters two days back with a view to taking over the possession of the plots.

They claimed that timely information was given to the SHO, Qasimabad, as well as the DSP, Qasimabad, about new encroachments, but they showed their helplessness on the plea that some MNAs and MPAs were interested in the whole matter.

They appealed to higher authorities to take notice of the encroachments on the housing society land and immediately remove the encroachments.

CONDOLENCE: Sindh minister for information technology Yaqoob Ilyas visited St. Elizabeth Hospital here on Thursday and offered condolences on the death of Father George Ibrahim who was murdered in Okara.