Cops play robbers with CDGK land
* 200 acres of over 400 plots near Rehri Goth were sold under alleged police patronage to people from nearby slums two years ago only to be taken back by the CDGK about 18 months later
KARACHI: The city government proudly announced last week that it had cleared encroachments from an area where it was going to build a new Kite Park near Rehri Goth. It appears, however, that the city government would not have had to go to such lengths in the first place had the police not allegedly sold the land via the mafia about two years ago.
Under the alleged patronage of area police, over 200 acres of state land in Landhi Town were grabbed and sold to poor people over a period of two years, Daily Times has learnt. People from various slums in Landhi Town purchased the plots and paid Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 each.
Land-grabbers sold more then 400 plots measuring 120 yards each for which people constructed boundary walls and houses without the presence of any civic facility, including water, sewerage, electricity, and natural gas. The area in question is located in Sherpao Colony, near Rehri Goth, and spreads all the way to the seaside. It is surrounded by Swat Colony, the Maula Madad Graveyard, Lalabad and Star Ground.
About two years ago, the entire site was apparently used as a garbage dump for the localities nearby. “It was filled with garbage. Then, a year-and-a-half ago, some people, under the supervision of the area police, leveled the site using more than two dozen bulldozers. They demarcated 400 plots,” said Nazir Ahmed, who purchased two plots measuring 120-yards each. He paid Rs 50,000 for each plot.
Ahmed said that he and his brother had borrowed money from their relatives to purchase the plots, and had constructed houses on them.
But then, around six months ago, the Landhi town administration razed all boundary walls and houses in the area without any notice. Dozens of people were injured, and one man, who had bought three plots, (reportedly) died of shock when he saw his life’s savings go down the drain, according to area reports.
Khan Muhammad, a resident of Swat Colony, told Daily Times that one of the police officials who supervised the anti-encroachment operation had earlier sold this land off with the help of the land mafia. He also said that people who had purchased these plots had paid Rs 5,000 to the Quaidabad Police Station in the name of “purchee”. Moreover, police mobiles patrolling the area also took money from people, especially those who were constructing houses. The extortion money, Muhammad said, ranged from Rs 20 to Rs 500.
Abdul Wajid, who has been visiting the area for the past 30 years, also said that the entire place used to be a garbage dump. An “influential person” from the nearby locality, however, grabbed a huge portion of the land and started cultivating corn in the “naddi” (sewerage from a major portion of Landhi and Korangi passes through this point on its way to the sea).
A spokesman for Landhi Town said that the anti-encroachment operation was initiated some six months ago on the orders of the then-town nazim, Ismail Qureshi, who resigned about two months ago. More than 100 acres of land were retrieved. The initial directives came from the city nazim who wanted the land vacated for the construction of a park.
“The encroachment was established around 18 months ago,” the Quaidabad Police Station SHO, Nasir Khan Mashwani, told Daily Times. The SHO at the time was Iqbal Sheikh. He was later transferred to another station on the complaints of area residents. Mashwangi admitted that some of the policemen were involved in extortion, but said that so far he had not received any complaints from the people of the area.
“The plan for the construction of Kite Park in the land vacated near Rehri Goth has been finalized,” CDGK Parks and Horticulture district officer, Liaquat Ali Khan, told Daily Times. “The initial construction is spread over 60 acres. This will increase in phases to 200 acres.” The park will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 200 million, and will have a cricket ground, a football stadium, a jogging track, a fountain, lawns, stone benches, flower beds, two amusement parks, and other facilities. Construction will begin during the current fiscal year, Khan said.
Source: Daily Times
Date:3/29/2007
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