A parliamentary panel on Monday directed the Sindh Revenue Department (SRD) to submit within two weeks a fresh survey report regarding demarcation of land in Karachi, whose ownership has been claimed by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
These directives were given by the sub-committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which met here under the chairpersonship of Shahida Akhtar Ali. The panel while showing serious anger over the failure of CAA and SRD to produce a viable report on the issue despite two deadlines given by the panel in past two months, warned both the CAA and Sindh Revenue Department of sending the matter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in case of non-compliance with its directives.
The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), in its report, had reported anomalies in the demarcation of land owned by the CAA. The AGP officials have told the panel that since 1995 the authorities have demarcated the land many times but every time a new dispute emerged.
The AGP officials told the committee that as a result of not handing over the land to Sindh Building Control Authority by CAA, Rs 5.48 billion financial losses incurred to Sindh province.
The PAC on March 18 directed Sindh Revenue Department (SRD) and CAA to resolve 24-year-old land dispute and provide the details to the parliamentary forum within a week but despite the passage of one month the concerned departments have failed to produce any concrete report on the matter.
The AGP officials informed the panel that over the past 6 years PAC and subcommittees of the PAC time and again directed the CAA to hand over the land to Sindh government but the authority didn't vacate land.
The CAA officials requested the committee to issue directives to the Sindh Revenue Department for fresh demarcation of the land through Geographic Information System (GIS).
"We wish that the land dispute between the Civil Aviation Authority and the Sindh government may be resolved amicably," Shahida Akhtar Ali said. She remarked that a woman named Ayesha was claiming ownership of the land.
Committee member Iqbal Muhammad Ali said, "I have heard that Nabil Gabol is also one of the claimants of this land."
An official of Sindh Revenue Department said as per their record, a company owned by Capt Abdul Haleem Siddiqui (retd) was owner of the land. He requested the committee to send the matter to the Survey of Pakistan for fresh survey of the land.
Iqbal Muhammad Ali remarked that demarcation of land for Bahria Town was carried out in no time. "We are aware of what is going on," he added. The audit officials requested that the fresh survey must be time-bound.
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