FAISALABAD, Feb 1: A strong land mafia is learnt to have got allotment of more than 50 kanals worth Rs1 billion alleged at throwaway prices in different parts of the district , which were earmarked for public utility services like parks and official buildings.

A source in the revenue department told Dawn here on Sunday that the Punjab government had imposed a ban on allotment of land in urban areas against the claims obtained by refugees under the Settlement and Rehabilitation Schemes.

According to rules laid down by the government, the source said, the allotments in lieu of the claims of the refugees could be made from the evacuated properties owned by the central government.

The source said currently over 1,500 refugees were agitating in different superior courts for acquiring land against their claims in various schemes. Some of the litigants succeeded in getting orders from superior courts in their favour for the allotment of land.

It is learnt that the persons having court orders and claims of land are running from pillar to post and pressuring the revenue department functionaries to allot land in urban areas.

The source said the city had 2,032 kanals in urban areas which had been earmarked by the Punjab government for various projects like green belts, gardens, official buildings, wagon stands and other public utility services. All these available lands have specifically been allocated for various projects in the master plan for the city.

The source said against clear cut instructions of the government and ban imposed on the allotment of the state land to claim-holders, a land mafia succeeded in getting the allotment orders from the district revenue officer, notified officer exercising the powers of the deputy settlement commissioner of urban and rural.

According to the source, the official allotted the land to mafia in the following localities. Around 40 kanals at Chak 203-RB, eight marlas at Chak 213-RB, three kanal and six marlas at Chak 122-JB, three kanal and five marlas at Chak 73-RB and one kanal and eight marla at Chak 127-JB.

The DO also ordered the patwaris and other revenue officials to make entries in mutation record in favour of the new allottees. All allotted lands of prime commercial nature having a value of Rs1 billion, which had been allotted against more than 56-year-old claims, had been purchased by a land mafia for Rs6,000.