LAYYAH, April 23: Allotted land of Jinnah `abadi’ scheme has illegally been re-allotted to a patwari of the irrigation department.
According to rules, allotted land can’t be re-allotted to another person without cancellation.
Reports said the then prime minister, Muhammad Khan Junejo, had launched the Jinnah scheme in 1986 to provide seven-marla residential plots to shelterless people.
As many as 96 kanals were acquired for the colony and divided into 215 plots. Allotment certificates duly signed by the assistant commissioner and the then revenue minister, Arshad Lodhi, were awarded to people. More than 40 allottees had built their houses and started living there.
The remaining land was illegally used for agriculture purposes with the alleged connivance of revenue officials by different people of the area.
The allotted land under the Jinnah scheme was re-allotted by the Layyah district revenue officer to one Muhammad Ali on Nov 21, 2004. Muhammad Ali transferred the land measuring 100 kanals and 12 marlas to his son patwari Amanat Ali on March 3, 2005 through mutation no 384.
Some days back, patwari Amanat and his accomplice demolished some of the houses in a bid to occupy the land. Muhammad Ameen, Nosharwan and Ahmed Khan were among those whose houses were demolished. They filed an FIR against the patwari and his accomplice with the Kot Sultan police with the help of PML-N MPA Muhammad Ejaz Achlana. The colony falls in the constituency of Mr Achlana.
The affected people told this correspondent that they would take to the streets if their grievances were not redressed.
According to Mr Ameen, patwari’s father Muhammad Ali purchased right of return of land from landlord Allah Bux of Mauza Lohanch Thal Kalan. He said as per a revenue department’s notification, the remaining right of return of Allah Bux is only 11 kanals and 12 marlas. The right of return of Mauza Lohanch Thal Kalan cannot be adjusted and allotted outside the mauza.
When contacted, the Layyah executive district officer (revenue) said he had not received any complaint from residents of the Jinnah colony. He said if he received any complaint, a complete probe would be conducted.
However, he conceded that a land allotted to one couldn’t be re-allotted to another person without cancellation by a competent authority.
TEACHER REINSTATED: Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman of the Lahore High Court, Multan bench, has suspended the Layyah district education officer’s (female) orders regarding termination of teacher Kausar Perveen of the Government Girl’s Middle School, Shahpur.
Hearing a petition filed by Ms Perveen, the court directed the district coordination officer, the executive district officer (education) and the district education officer (DEO) to submit their reply in a fortnight over termination of the petitioner.
Ms Perveen said she had been appointed senior elementary school educator on September 15, 2002, and terminated after five months. She said DEO Jameela Kazmi had terminated her without serving her a month notice prior to her termination.
She said the name of Perveen Mukhtar, who replaced her, had not been on the list of candidates of educators prepared by the Education Department. The petitioner said Ms Kazmi had terminated her to accommodate her relative.