LAHORE: Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said on Monday that an anti-qabza mafia cell has been established to eliminate land grabbers from the provincial capital.

Mr Dogar said the Punjab government notified a committee, which included the representatives of the police, revenue, LDA, Overseas Pakistanis Commission and co-operative departments. The committee is to deal with the cases and complaints of citizens regarding land grab.

The cell was constituted on the recommendations of the committee, he said, adding that citizens can dial 1242 to reach the police.

The CCPO said the cell and helpline 1242 would provide immediate help to the citizens and the police would initiate a prompt action against the culprits.The Lahore police recently arrested 300 people for land grabbing.

Mr Dogar said that the committee would decide old cases of illegal occupation within 72 hours while the Lahore police would take action on the directions of the committee.

He said that details of assets and weapons of alleged land grabbers had been updated so that the affairs of such criminals were dealt according to the law.

He further said that according to the data gathered from surveillance of influential land grabbers, the police will also take action against these culprits in an organized manner.

The CCPO said that Lahore police will advertise regarding the helpline and the cell so that citizens could be informed about their rights and the facility.

“A senior officer will be available at the Anti-Qabza Mafia Cell to listen to the complaints of the citizens,” the CCPO said.

CM: The government wants to introduce an exemplary system for empowering local bodies institutions and will give a separate development package to every district for sanitation services and clean drinking water because these are its top priorities.

Presiding over a meeting at his office to review steps for resolving public issues at the grassroots, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar directed that effective steps should be taken to resolve the problems of the people at their doorstep, adding that the new local bodies system would usher in a new era of development at the basic level.

He said a strong local government system would help solve public problems. Similarly, the Punjab Local Government Act would ensure genuine public representation, he added.

The chief minister said the government was giving particular attention to the repair and maintenance of roads and streets. The PTI-led government fully believed in the devolution of power and authority at the grassroot level, he concluded. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Raja Basharat, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, Hashim Jawan Bakht, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Punjab chief secretary and others.

Meanwhile, Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid met the CM at his office on Monday and briefed him about the steps taken for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The CM directed the Covid SOPs should be effectively implemented and the citizens should remain careful in this regard, adding that public cooperation was a must to fully materialise the government efforts.

He regretted the opposition had totally forgotten the national interest as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) wanted to interrupt the journey of development. The CM emphasised that the “negative politics” would be countered through public service as the people wanted development and the “alliance of the corrupt” could not hoodwink them.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2021