DCO ordered to rid graveyards of encroachments

The District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) has received court orders to rid graveyards of encroachments in two months and submit the report in this regard by October 7. On Wednesday, DCO appeared before the LHC with a report showing that all the unauthorised occupants had been removed and illegal shops sealed on the land of MSG.
He further said the MSG Committee was to carry out a survey and notices on the land of the graveyard would be removed on priority. The colonies member of the Board of Revenue (BoR) also reported, explaining the reasons for the land to be transferred to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).
The report said on September 15, 1998 the LDA had given a summary to the chief minister, to resettle 81 shopkeepers displaced by Wasa and LDA and that the land had been identified by the committee formed by the chief minister. After obtaining views of various officers (other than BoR) the CM on June 26, 1999 approved resettlement of the said shopkeepers on said land, report said.
It further said that the member colonies had opposed the transfer of the land free of cost and pointed out that it can only be transferred as per the policy on payment of current market price.
Subsequently, the report added, another summary was initiated by LDA on October 2, 2004 proposing that the BoR may allow the sale of the said land on deferred payment. And member colonies forwarded the summary to CM recommending for recovering price from 81 shopkeepers in 14 instalments.
The report assured the court that the matter has been re-examined and a summary has also been submitted to Chief Minister proposing to pay back the price received from LDA and allotment of alternate land to the said 81 shopkeepers by LDA in one of its scheme.
Thus the original status of the disputed land will be restored, the report added. Member Colonies sought more time from court to resolve the issue, which was duly given by the judge till September 08. The DCO was ordered to file a comprehensive report by Justice Akram Qureshi in a petition challenging the encroachments made by Lahore Development Authority (LDA) at the land of MSG.
Petitioner Sayed Muhammad Tariq Shah submitted that he had been a member of MSG Committee from 1985 to 2005. He said the LDA was trying to occupy a piece of land of the graveyard and soon the tombs of Sayed Pir Bokhari and Bauji Sarkar would be demolished which were situated on the land. Petitioner submitted that he was a Mureed (follower) of Pir Bokhari and Bauji Sarka.
The petitioner stated that on January 22, 2005, 3 kanal, 18 marlas and 275 square feet piece of state land situated in Mozang was sold to LDA at rate of Rs 360,000 per marla to further allotment to 81 shopkeepers/ affectees of WASA drain Chowk Chauburji Lahore.
The petitioner submitted that the sale of the land was against the Punjab Graveyards (Reservations and Maintenance) Act 1958 and the Miani Sahib Graveyard Ordinance 1962 which defined the boundary of the graveyard. The sale signed on 15/3/2007 by means of which the land of the Miani Sahib was sold to LDA is illegal and unlawful.