GUJRANWALA: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has included 26 officials of the revenue department and municipal corporation in an inquiry into the zoo scam, while a joint investigation team has been formed to probe into the case.

In 1983, then mayor Muhammad Aslam Butt acquired 247 state kanals for the construction of a zoo near Haidri Underpass on GT Road. Some influential people with the connivance of revenue and municipal officials sold a big part of the land to poor people. The people constructed their houses on the state land while some people set up factories.

The influential people also got approved electricity and gas connections for these houses. In 2018, two people submitted an application to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which took action and launched an inquiry into the scam.

It emerged in the inquiry that the land acquired for the zoo was sold illegally. NAB started an operation and got demolished some illegal buildings there but influential factory owners got stay order from the court to stop the demolition of their factories. NAB teams stopped the operation but the ACE continued investigation.

According to ACE sources, 26 officials had been included in the investigation.

A joint investigation team had also been formed to resolved the matter. The JIT will complete the inquiry within 10 days.

COUNCILS: The Lahore High Court stopped on Friday the establishment of school councils in private schools and sought the education secretary comments.

The order was issued on a plea of the Alliance of the Private Schools Association, Gujranwala division.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2019