Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners in the province have retained the powers of land acquisition more than two and half months after the restoration of local government system of 1979. Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan promulgated Sindh Land Acquisition (amendment) Ordinance 2012 on January 30.
A senior official of Revenue department told Business Recorder that with promulgation of the ordinance, the commissioners and Deputy Commissioners had been given the powers of land acquisition. He said that Governor amended the Land Acquisition Act 1894. The ordinance shall come into force at once and deemed to have taken effect on and from November 05, 2011.
He explained that through the amended Ordinance, the words District Officer (Revenue) have been substituted with the word 'Collector' and the words 'Executive District Officer' (Revenue), with the word 'Commissioner'. He opined that the provincial government should have amended the Land Acquisition Act 1894 when the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001 expired, but it was not done at that time.