THE Punjab chief minister has ordered immediate action against the land mafia that had grabbed a vast piece of government land in south Punjab. According to details through a fake directive on behalf of the chief minister a mauza was sanctioned at New Abbasia Link Canal and then thousand of acres of government land were colonised after which it was sold to innocent but needy people. The grabbers earned millions. The chief minister has called for a report within one week. The process of illegal occupation on private and government lands is .. fast-paced... Where the owners are weak particularly the old and womenfolk, their lands are fraudulently taken over or they are blackmailed. One piece of land is sold to many... The government department concerned is directly involved in this fraud. That is why the staff of the department is opposing the computerisation of the revenue record. ..The conditions of government lands are worse... It is railway land that has been commonly used for squatter settlements later legalised by politicians and political parties. It looks as the whole nation has turned into a qabza group.

There are many factors responsible for such an atmosphere of which .. one is a sense of insecurity. The people are always fearful that they might be deprived of their belongings, therefore to feel safe they should own landed property they can get easily. Fake registration is not checked... Private and government housing schemes are not within reach of the common man who then turns to cheap land most of which has not been given the legal go-ahead, and from there begins the trouble. The chief minister has ordered action against one such scandal but the need is for a large-scale operation. The qabza groups .. must be strictly dealt with.. Cheap housing schemes should be initiated in the public sector... -(Feb 9)

Selected and translated by STM.