RAHIM YAR KHAN: A piece of 54-acre land meant for the establishment of a wildlife sanctuary park on prime location of Chak 54-P has been under illegal occupation for the last two decades.

The land near Abu Dhabi Palace was allotted for the wildlife facility in 1997 and has been under illegal occupation allegedly due to blessings of political figures.

District Wildlife Officer Asim Kamran told Dawn that the Punjab government allotted 2,550 acre (in chunks) in 1997 to establish a wildlife sanctuary park near Abu Dhabi Palace and 54 acre were also acquired in Chak 54-P for the purpose. On Aug 26, 1999, he said, the land was transferred to the wildlife department through the Board of Revenue via order No 2994-99/2404. The district revenue department registered this land in the name of the wildlife department on Sept 11.

Mr Kamran said that in 1989, the government had established seven-marla plots at Jinnah Abadi Scheme adjacent to the 54 acre in question. A decade later, he said, 54 acre were transferred but possession was not given to the wildlife department taking advantage of which many people built almost 100 to 150 houses over a piece of 25 acre and even the Multan Electric Supply Company (Mepco) installed meters in the houses without the requirement of ownership documents.

“A man namely Amanat started cultivation on the remaining 25-acre agricultural land and some influential people built shops on four acres of commercial land near the Abe Hayat police station of the wildlife department,” he said.

“It was in 2010 the wildlife staff tried to vacate the land from illegal occupants who initially filed a case of their ownership in civil court and then in the LHC Bahawalpur bench. Both cases were disposed of. Subsequently, the district administration cracked down on the illegal residents who retaliated and scared the officials away.

“The district administration had a case (FIR No 186/10) registered against 115 people but two influential political figures came to the rescue of the occupants and the FIR was quashed. After the assurance of political personalities that no more encroachment would be allowed, the matter was put on the back burner,” said Mr Kamran.

A few years later, he said, many people including Mian Mukhtar, Allah Ditta, Zafar Chachar and Dr Waheed with the blessings of an MPA’s son, Naeem Shafiq, sold the remaining land and rented out the 25 shops near the police station. “Now there are 700 houses over 25 acre,” he said.

He said he issued notice to Amant, the illegal occupant of the agricultural land, in October and he (Amanat) initially promised to hand it over to the wildlife department but then backed out. On Oct 22, he said, some politically backed people tried to occupy five kanals of wildlife department but he (Mr Kamran) foiled their attempt.

The officer said he sent a letter No 346/DWO/RYK/2019 the same day to the wildlife DG and on Oct 23, wrote a letter to Deputy Commissioner Jamil Ahmed Jamil who ordered the staff to point out the wildlife department land but to no avail.

On Nov 3, the illegal occupants and shopkeepers attacked the wildlife staff and damaged state property. Police registered a case against them.

Director General Wildlife Punjab Sohail Ashraf and the MPA did not respond to the calls.

The MPA’s son Naeem Shafiq, who remained district council vice chairman, said he would not allow anyone to demolish the abode of any resident because of the fact that it’s a clear direction of the government that an FIR would be lodged against the deputy commissioner if anyone tried to demolish any house or shop in the slum.

The DC claimed that he had not received any letter demanding vacation of the land from illegal occupants.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2019