LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the deputy commissioner of the provincial metropolis on a public interest petition seeking implementation of a law requiring the government to ensure fireproof arrangements for the land record.

Advocate Chaudhry Abdul Sattar, the petitioner, contended before the court that sub-section (3) of section 16 of the Registration Act 1908 provided that the provincial government shall supply the office of every registrar with a fire-proof box, and shall in each district make suitable provision for the safe custody of the records connected with the registration of documents in such district.

He pointed out that an unruly mob on Jan 12, 1998 set on fire the property registration record of the Saddar Sub-division in the DC Office, Lahore, resulting into its complete burning.

He argued that had the government taken care to do what the law had required it to do, the property registration record could have been saved from burning.

The lawyer said he himself was a victim like thousands of other victims of the government’s grave neglect that it did not care to do a doable.

He submitted that the inferno-havoc could not open the eyes of the government and the height of the bad governance was that now when almost quarter of a century had since passed, it seemed to be no one’s concern to go by the law.

He asked the court to take notice of the situation and pass an appropriate order to the government for the implementation of the law.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan directed a law officer to seek instructions from the deputy commissioner and place the same before the court on the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2021