HYDERABAD, April 14: The Sindh government has not allotted 64 acres of land to each of nine police stations in Kutcha area of Hyderabad district despite directives by President General Pervez Musharraf, according to sources.

Police sources said that in 1994, the then IG Afzal Shigri had recommended to the then Sindh chief minister that the police department should be allotted land for its stations/posts located in riverine and hilly areas. Sources said that acceding to the proposal, the chief minister allowed allotment of 64 acres of land for each police station in Kutcha area on May 16, 1994.

Directives were also issued to the board of revenue for completing paper work and handing over land to police. They claimed that the Hyderabad police had taken possession of the land but they had not been given relevant documents by the revenue department.

That was why, they said, police avoided making any construction or executing any development scheme on these premises. According to sources, President Gen Musharraf visited the Central Police Office in Karachi in December 2001 and Sindh police chief Kamal Shah took the matter with him.

Sources said that the president's directive (number 1509) was communicated to concerned quarters. A meeting was also held between police and revenue authorities in the wake of the president's directive but matter had remained unresolved to date.

Sources said that such land was however allotted in other districts, including Dadu and Larkana. They said that nine police stations in Kutcha area of Hyderabad district were facing many problems and working under poor conditions due to lack of their own residential buildings, water, roads, wireless sets, electricity and vehicles.

DPO A.D. Khawaja said that the police stations did not have any incentive but if the land was allotted, policemen could cultivate a big portion of it and its income could be spent on their welfare.