OKARA, July 26: Tension between tenants and the military farm administration was defused when a group of tenants, destroyed crop grown over disputed land on the basis of an accord.

This was stated by an army spokesman while talking to newsmen here on Monday. He claimed that the armymen were now watering the fields without any let or hindrance. He said that Chak 15/4-L, comprising 1,125 acres of land, had been handed over to the army through a notification issued by the government in 1967.

Since then the land was being cultivated by tenants of the army, he said and added that the military farm administration had no concern with it. He alleged that the Anjuman Mazareen Punjab leaders were using some tenants for their vested interests.

He said the tenants were poor workers and the army had no plans to eject them from the lands of Chak 15/4-L. However, he said the police had to take action against some tenants when they tried to intrude into the army land.

The spokesman further said that the disputed 82 acres of land given to the Army Welfare Trust (AWT) in 1982 had been retrieved some six months ago. Now it was being cultivated by hired civilian workers.

Similarly, some 248 acres of land was also retrieved by the army for some constructions, including an ammunition depot just 300 yards away from Chak 15/4-L. While the rest 775 acres of land was being cultivated by army tenants.

Virtually, he said, the Chak 15/4-L had no concern with military farm villages and the administration and army had started raising its boundary which would be completed within few days.

The spokesman said the army was least concerned with the issue of tenants and the military farm administration. Meanwhile, the AMP group led by Younas Iqbal Masih held a meeting with DPO Syed Zafar Abbas Bokhari and settled the issue of watering the disputed land. However, no resistance was offered in this respect by the AMP group led by Mehr Abdul Sattar.