ISLAMABAD: A commission was notified on Monday to verify the claims of people affected by the anti-encroachment operation that they possessed land ownership documents issued to them by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration.

A joint anti-encroachment operation is currently being conducted by the ICT administration and the CDA to retrieve right of way of Korang River on the directives of the Supreme Court. Recently, the CDA also conducted a mega operation to retrieve state land along the right of way of Kashmir Highway.

A senior administration officer told Dawn that the offices of the chief commissioner and the deputy commissioner were flooded with complaints by people affected by the anti-encroachment operation that they owned the land legally.

But buildings and other structures built on the land were demolished during the operation after declaring them encroachments, they added.

Sources in the ICT administration said it had been decided that a proper inquiry would be conducted into the claims made by people to be affected by the anti-encroachment drive.

They said a three-member ‘Complaint redressal inquiry commission’ had been notified under the supervision of the additional deputy commissioner revenue with the district attorney and the superintendent of police (city circle) as members.

The committee, which was formed by Chief Commissioner Islamabad Joudat Ayaz, is tasked to verify the authenticity of the claims.

After examination of the land records and giving the locals a personal hearing, the commission shall forward the same to the appropriate forum. The commission shall stand dissolved after six months.

Under the ongoing operation, over 600 kanals along the 21-km-long Korang River currently under illegal occupation is to be retrieved.

Recently, the residents of Bhara Kahu and adjoining areas held a protest against the CDA and the ICT administration for issuing them notices of eviction from the right of way of the river.

They were of the view that if their land was illegal why the local administration issued them the land documents.

According to CDA spokesman Syed Safdar Ali, the operation continued on Monday along both sides of the Korang River in Shahpur village, Bhara Kahu, and about 35 kanals was retrieved after demolition of six rooms and one boundary walls etc.

A report prepared by the Survey of Pakistan on the direction of the apex court recently pointed out that 613 kanals along the Korang River/nullah was under illegal occupation in various revenue estates such as Phulgran, Banigala/Mohra Noor, Kot Hathiyal, Shahpur, Malata etc.

The report said most of the encroachment on the right of way of the river took place after 2004. CDA officials said after 2004 property prices witnessed a significant boost in the rural areas of the capital. In many cases, local politicians carved out plots near Bhara Kahu and sold them to developers.

Citing the example of the use of land near Korang River, the officials said on Simly Dam Road near a bridge, which linked Shahpur and Bhara Kahu, land developers constructed a retaining wall, carved out plots on over 50 kanals and sold them to the citizens.

“There is a need to look into these cases,” said an official of the revenue department.

He said apparently the developers and property dealers purchased land in same khasra number of Korang River or its adjacent khasra but got possession of land on the right of way of the river.

“During the inquiry we will look into all the aspects. If it is established that our officials were involved, we will take strict action against them,” said a senior officer of the ICT administration.

The Survey of Pakistan report added: “Position of Korang River appearing in original revenue record of 1984-85, 1905-07 has been found consistent with the original revenue record of 1956-57. It has been found from the survey of the river that there is a huge difference in existing limits of the river and its position according to the original revenue record.”

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2018