GUJRAT, May 27: The National Highway Authority has reportedly decided to file a claim of over Rs5 million with the Kharian Tehsil Municipal Administration. It was learnt that the Kharian TMA had been receiving rent on monthly basis from over 100 tenants for using the NHA land in Lalamusa.

Over 100 Pathans had been running a flee market at the NHA land along the GT Road in Lalamusa for the last eight years. They were paying around Rs120,000 monthly rent to the Lalamusa Municipal Committee.

Last month, a TMA squad on the instruction of the Kharian Tehsil Nazim had removed the flee market without assigning any reason, tenants said. Later, a delegation of the affected tenants, led by Sakhi Khan, visited the NHA Dhonkal office and met the deputy director, sources said.

They informed the official about the situation and desired to allot the land to them against annual rent. They also informed him that a Kharian Tehsil Nazim's representative had been charging Rs120,000 from them every month as rent and they agreed to give the same to the NHA on monthly basis.

It may be mentioned that as per the NHA rules and regulations, it could charge Rs1,000 per annum from an individual tenant but the tenant's offer for Lalamusa is Rs10,000 per annum.

However, the deputy director informed the visiting delegation that only his provincial boss could make a decision in this regard. Sources claimed that Sakhi Khan along with other tenants then visited the office of NHA general manager (operations) in Lahore and apprised him of the situation.

They also submitted a written application before him seeking permission for allotment of land on lease in their name against an amount which they had already been giving to the Lalamusa MC.

Sources claimed that the NHA's Lahore office had directed the Dhonkal office to give all necessary information in this regard. Sakhi Khan and other affected tenants said the NHA general manager had assured them that they would be allotted the land soon as per NHA rules and regulations.

They also quoted him as saying that the NHA would file a claim of the amount which the Lalamusa MC had been charging from tenants for the last eight years. A director at the NHA Dhonkal office confirmed Dawn that the department had been collecting information and would soon file a claim for reimbursement of the amount which the Lalamusa MC (now part of Kharian TMA) had been charging from tenants.

Politician Asif Dhama, a Kharian tehsil councillor, had alleged that tehsil Nazim Nadeem Asghar Kaira had removed the flee market tenants only for personal gains, incurring a loss of over Rs1 million per annum to Lalamusa MC.

He said that his cousin Tahir Zaman Kaira and Raja Yasir Kamal of Jhelum were in conflict over possession of Railway land along the GT Road in Lalamusa which was being leased out by the PR in the name of the latter.

He alleged that Nadeem Asghar Kaira had asked the tenants to use the PR land and give the rent to Tahir Zaman Kaira and Sheikh Abdul Khalil, who according to him, were the owners of the PR land.

When the tenants tried to set up their shops at the PR land, Raja Yasir Kamal reported the matter to the railway police which thwarted the tenants' attempt of establishing shops at a disputed land and removed them to the police station. Later, they were released by the railway police.