KARACHI, May 1: The Board of Revenue has cautioned revenue officers, especially all district officers (revenue) who are custodian of revenue record, to scrutinize all decided cases of evacuee properties to unearth frauds, forgeries and unscrupulous activities committed in the past.

The Board had recently unearthed a fraud in which one Iftikhar Ahmad, Senior Clerk, (EP) Branch, had issued bogus clearance certificates for 190 acres of agricultural land in Taluka Mirpurkhas and Kot Ghulam Muhammad. Moreover, 35 houses, shops and plots were transferred to various so-called allottees with forged signatures.

Such illegal acts had helped only land-grabbers/cheaters who managed to get evacuee properties transferred to their names.

The BoR has directed all district officers (revenue) to verify/scrutinize such cases so that the government exchequer is saved from huge losses.

It apprehended that wrong claims had been entertained in the past through misrepresentation, fraud, forgeries, perjuries, etc. The BOR has sought a report by May 30.

The district officers (revenue) in Sindh have been reminded that the headquarters of the Evacuee Properties located in the Board of Revenue, Camp Office, Karachi, and Evacuee Property branches located throughout the province have been closed with effect from Jan 1.

They have been requested to maintain Evacuee Property record properly secured/sealed and constitute a committee to seal/de-seal the record as and when required and also keep a vigil on the staff.

The district officers were told that under the new set-up they were the custodian of revenue/ Evacuee Property record and it was their responsibility to safeguard the evacuee property from land-grabbers/cheaters.

It stressed that cases of evacuee property pending in various courts be actively, efficiently, effectively, competently, professionally followed in accordance with the law so that the interest of government is safeguarded.

—APP