SWABI: The district administration has established an anti-land grabbing cell to check the practice of land grabbing and monitor all property-related transactions in order to protect the rights of genuine landowners in the district.

Sources told this correspondent on Tuesday that it was the first time such a cell had been established in the district which would help the destitute owners in recovery of their land from often powerful and organised land grabbers.

They said that the district administration had taken various steps to curb land grabbing as property disputes often led to deadly clashes. They said that all tehsildars had been directed to maintain a register of state land and shamilat (shared land) along with the names of owners and their shares so that illegal occupiers could be traced and removed.

The sources said that all the stamp vendors had been asked to report details of land transactions on a prescribed form on weekly basis. They said that the assistant commissioner and additional assistant commissioner had been directed to regularly inspect the stamp vendors in their jurisdictions to eradicate irregularities.

HOUSE LOOTED: Four unidentified robbers looted a house and shot and injured its owner here the other night.

The incident occurred in Jamalabad village in Swabi city police station limits.

Registering an FIR, Sherin Kamal said that four robbers forced their way into his house and broke the door of his room. He said that they snatched his purse having cash and his national identity card. He said that they also entered another room and looted 12-tola ornaments, a laptop, four wrest watches and Rs50,000 cash.

The house owner was shot and injured while putting up resistance. The local police registered an FIR and have started investigations.

AZADI MARCH: PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam would lead the party’s procession from Swabi district on Thursday to take part in Azadi March.

The decision was made at a meeting held here the other day at the residence of Shiraz Ikram Bacha in Karnal Sher Khan Kallay, which was presided over by Dr Ibad.

On this occasion, Dr Ibad said that workers from various regions would reach the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway at Swabi Interchange for onward journey to Islamabad.

TRADERS FINED: Officials of the local administration fined traders for violating the official price list here the other day.

Assistant commissioner Mohammad Ehtisham fined seven shopkeepers during a visit to markets in Swabi. Similarly, additional assistant commissioner, Chota Lahor, Sana Hafeez inspected different stores and chicken shops and warned the traders to observe the price list.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2019