LARKANA, Dec 15: The land acquisition office, Hyderabad, has failed to pay compensation for the land acquired in 1990-91 for a road between Shahdadkot-Bagodaro via the Rap Wato Village in Qambar district. Talking to this correspondent in Qambar, land-owner Fida Hussain Hakro said about 5.5 acres of land were acquired by the communication and works department for construction of road.

The land acquired falls under survey numbers 124, 106, B-57, 549, 550 and 551 in the Rap Wato Village, Mirokhan taluka.

The department acquired some more land while constructing a link road, he said.

He said that despite repeated approaches to the engineer concerned, the chief engineer of the land acquisition office kept making false promises about payment.

The executive engineer of the highways division II in March 1995 in a letter to the superintending engineer pointed towards making part payment to the tune of Rs50,000 only.

A chief engineer, Ghulam Ali Attar, in a letter to the secretary communication and works department on April 9, 1995, had requested for funds to clear dues of Rs95,000.

Former Sindh chief minister Abdullah Shah had also asked the communication and works department on 13 September 1995 for making payment against the acquired land.

But till toady the department had not made the payments, Mr Hakro said.

He said the Sindh government had placed an amount of Rs80 million at the disposal of the department of finance for making payments to the parties whose land had been acquired for construction of roads.

Despite repeated visits to the office of the land acquisition officer in Hyderabad, he said, he had failed to contact him.

The land acquisition officer in a chance meeting with him maintained that the finance department had blocked the amount and was reluctant to release it.

He said that when others were being given the reward money in accordance with the settled terms, why not the LAO was stopping his payments. Another victim Faisal Hassan Hakro said the highway department had acquired a piece of land measuring 12 acres in survey numbers 580, 581, 582, 583, 103 and 104 located in the Rap Wato Village, Deh Pholro (Mirokhan).

The land was acquired in 90’s and since then they were running between pillar to post and even after fulfilling all requirements the land acquisition officer Hyderabad was not making payments.

He claimed that in 1998 the then executive engineer highway division, Larkana, had received a cheque for Rs400,000.

A piece of land owned by Fazal Mohammed Hakro was also acquired, said Faisal but his efforts also met the same fate.

The victims, expressing concern over indifferent attitude of the land acquisition officer, called for early payment, which was their right.