CHAKWAL: Some citizens with the support of district administration want to turn an abandoned patch of Shamlat Mufid-i-Aam (common land) into a public park.

They, however, fear that their plan might be thwarted as the nominal owners of the land have vowed to resist their move despite the fact that such kind of land could only be used for the welfare of the public.

Though levelling of the site is under way, the builders fear that legal hitches may force them to stop work halfway.

Such lands do have owners, but according to law they could not use such lands for their personal purposes nor can alter their status.

As the Potohar region did not have any permanent source of water like rivers or canals, every village has a pond and a ground adjacent to it. The purpose of the ground is to provide rainwater to the pond to tackle water need.

Shamlat Mufid-i-Aam land is adjacent to a pond, hence serves many purposes.

The water of the pond is not only used for bathing and washing clothes but also provides drinking water to humans and cattle.

In the land settlement (called Bandobast) which was carried out every 40 years by the Britishers, such land was reserved as Shamlat Mufid-i-Aam.

As most ponds in Potohar region have gone dry, the land adjacent to these ponds is being encroached upon.

The land, measuring 51 kanals, is located near Govt Degree College for Women, which was reserved for a pond and its ground.

Unfortunately the pond dried up many years ago and a school and a funeral place were built on a part of it.

The rest of the land which was approximately 40 kanals was being used as a waste dumping ground by the Municipal Committee Chakwal for the last many years. Few days ago a local industrialist, Qazi Mohammad Akbar, and his brother Qazi Mohammad Ashraf decided to convert this abandoned public land into a family park.

“It was estimated that the construction of the park will need around Rs15 million,” Qazi Akbar told Dawn.

He added that 80pc of the cost would be borne by him and his brother Qazi Ashraf while 20pc would be collected from the residents of the area.

Deputy Commissioner retired Captain Abdul Sattar Esani assured Qazi Akbar his support.

But the Chaudhris of Chakwal threatened to resist the move solely on the grounds that these were their ancestors’ land who donated it for the welfare of the public more than a century ago.

“Our forefathers donated this precious land for the welfare of the public but now a plan for building a park is going to be executed without our consent just to defame us,” one of the nominal owners told Dawn.

Sharing a verdict of a local court delivered in 2011 regarding this very chunk of land, he said the court had refrained Municipal Committee Chakwal and three others, including Qazi Akbar, from changing the nature of this land as TMA along with three individuals wanted to change the status of this land.

The verdict said: “They (defendants) are permanently restrained to change its nature without the permission of plaintiffs.”

Senior advocate Mohammad Amir Butt of Chakwal Bar told Dawn that Shamlat Mufid-i-Aam which was reserved for a pond and ground a century ago now as per ruling of Supreme Court announced in 2006 regarding another chunk of such land in Chakwal can be used for other purpose of public welfare such as educational institutions, hospital, park, etc., if they are no more feasible for their original purpose.

“The owners could not interfere in using such land for the welfare of the public,” he added.

DC Abdul Sattar Esani regretted the reaction by the Chaudhris.

“Building a park on an abandoned public land must be appreciated. I will try my best to get the park built,” he vowed.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2019