CHINIOT: Two patwaris were suspended and services of an Urban Unit employee terminated for allegedly making fake entries of flood losses during a survey in a bid to get compensation.

Reports said the district administration constituted 83 teams to survey the damages using a mobile app that records GPS coordinates and location data. Each team comprises personnel from four departments: a patwari, an Urban Unit employee, an army man, and a teaching staff member. The teams have so far completed 32 per cent of the total task.

Despite the transparent procedure, some individuals have attempted to exploit the compensation scheme by entering fake claims. At Jhallar Nathu Shah, Tehsil Lalian, a survey team documented that more than 50 persons were injured in the flood.

Assistant Commissioner Lalian, Dr. Anas Saeed, immediately noticed the report and was astonished, as he had personally overseen the full and timely evacuation of the entire village before the flood hit on Aug 29. With not a single person left behind, the reported “injuries to dozens of people” was clearly false.

Dr. Saeed took disciplinary action and reversed fake entries from the record.

Two patwaris Mazhar Abbas (Circle Barana) and Agha Muhammad Ali Mehdi (Circle Culus) were suspended and services of an Urban Unit employee terminated for fake entries. When contacted, Chiniot Deputy Commissioner Safiullah Gondal claimed that the flood loss assessment is being conducted accurately and army men were also included in each of the 83 teams to ensure accuracy, true figures and transparency.

He said the losses of lives and injuries were cross verified by health department record, Rescue 1122 and record of medical camps held in flood-hit areas.

The losses of crops were physically verified. The losses of animals were verified by the livestock record. However, he said, in case the record of any died animal is not matched with ownership record available with the livestock department, the matter is referred to Imam Masjid, lumberdar and two respectable villagers of the community to confirm the claim of the affectee on oath.

All claims are carefully scrutinised at the tehsil level by the concerned assistant commissioners, he said and added that Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Ahmar Ali has been assigned to look into any grievances brought into the notice of high officials.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2025