Land mafia still occupies 8,300 acres of CDA land, Supreme Court told

The Supreme Court was on Tuesday informed that 8,300 acres land of Capital Development Authority at Sectors E11, D11, G12 and F11, is still occupied by land mafia.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Ghulam Rabbani noted that such allotment of public land to private housing societies would give rise to an infinite episode of grabbing state lands and a principle would be adopted that any one who has power, can illegally occupy the state land.
The bench was hearing a suo motu case against allotment of billion of rupees land in sector E-11 to Multi-Professional Co-operative Housing Society (MPCHS) by CDA. The court observed the allotment was repugnant to encourage the land mafia.
Justice Chaudhry said that if CDA can get its land vacated from land mafias at Bani Gala, why it could not do so in E-11. He said the land at E-11 was acquired by CDA in 1968 and it must be developed by it and not by a private housing society.
Khalid Anwar, counsel for CDA contended that no irregularities were committed while giving the land to private housing society for its development. He said no proof of any kind of irregularities was found in land transaction and the whole process was done in a very transparent manner. He said that 8,300 acres land of CDA was still occupied in four sectors.
He informed the court that people are occupying the land, given to the society for development, for over 40 years and they had constructed modern residences over the land. The chief justice inquired whether the possession of land at Bani Gala was taken back by CDA, the counsel said some people had resisted, however, the land was got vacated.
Chief Justice said law makes its way itself and rules must be applied on people who are illegally occupying state land. Dr Aslam Khaki, counsel for the occupants will resume his hearing on Wednesday.