TOBA TEK SINGH: Faisalabad Anti-Corruption Establishment is apparently reluctant to register a case of alleged forging of revenue record to change ownership of state land to benefit Kamalia Sugar Mills management that fraudulently obtained a Rs2.659 billion loan by mortgaging the same land.

On Jan 19, DC Amer Ijaz Akbar had written to ACE director, referring to Kamalia Assistant Commissioner Khalid Mahmood’s Jan 9 letter, that state land measuring 1,201 kanals at Chak 55-GB, Tukra, owned by Punjab government, was sold on June 28, 1979, to the Punjab Industrial Development Board (PIDB).

The letter said that at the time of Kamalia tehsil land record computerisation, a local land record service centre official, Muhammad Sheraz Gul, entered the name of Kamalia Sugar Mills (KSM), instead of the PIDB administrator, as the land owner in the record.

It said that on Oct 21, 2015, Kamalia tehsildar, in his order had allowed correction of wrong entry in the record. However, no record of the tehsildar’s order was now available in the office, it added.

The letter blamed Sheraz Gul for forging the revenue record to benefit the sugar mills with ulterior motive.

The AC mentioned that KSM management later mortgaged the land with National Bank’s Corporate branch, Kohi-i-Noor City, Faisalabad, against a loan of Rs2.659bn fraudulently vide mutation No 650 dated April 19, 2016.

In the light of AC’s report, the DC had written to Faisalabad ACE director on Jan 19 to register a case against Sheraz Gul, his accomplices and the beneficiaries (KSM management) for forging the record and changing the land ownership, but so far the case had not been registered.

Faisalabad ACE Superintendent Sarfraz Warraich said the director had assigned Deputy Director Saifullah Gill the probe into the matter.

He said Mr Gill had sought the record of the documents from all parties involved in the case and a case would be registered against the suspects after ascertaining the facts.

The Punjab Board of Revenue senior member had sought on Dec 1, 2016, a detailed report from Toba Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) Ahmad Khawar Shahzad of the case.

After holding an inquiry into the matter, Mr Shahzad had confirmed in his report sent to the BOR senior member that the land ownership was changed and KSM management officials Muhammad Ramzan and others later fraudulently obtained Rs2.659bn loan through mortgage.

The ADC also mentioned in the inquiry report that KSM management had illegally occupied a piece of land measuring 342 kanals, 13 marla, owned by provincial government located adjacent to the mills. The land was now being used by the KSM for dumping mud and waste water.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2017