BY FARID SABRI
Capital Development Authority (CDA) in its report submitted to Supreme Court on Wednesday stated that the total area to Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) is 1584 acres and disputed area of 125 acres in Mouza Jhang Banial is not included in it.
In 1991, the QAU administration informed that they have taken over possession of 1584 acres 4 kanals and 15 marlas of land. Later, the CDA demanded Rs. 1,080,744 on account of the cost of 125 acres land, which was paid by QAU on April 17, 1991 and thus QAU has paid for a total of 1709 acres of land.
The land was offered on February 4, 1976 to QAU, where the campus was built. 331 acres of land in Jhang Banial, 1160 acres in Malpur, 181 acres in Kot Hatial and 35 acres in Noor Pur Shahan Mouzas at Rs. 3,345,319.
On February 3, 2007 the QAU administration informed the foremost civic agency about the mushrooming encroachment by the locals on university land. It was then decided by both stakes holders to mark the QAU land with barbed wires and to remove the encroachment and CDA’s land department also plays its vital role in it.
Later, the CDA’s environment directorate stopped the QAU administration to mark the land with barbed wires intentionally.
Subsequently, last meeting on the aforementioned matter was held at CDA headquarters on January 19, 2017. In the meeting, CDA again allowed the QAU to continue marking their land with barbed wires in order to prevent mushrooming encroachment.
The QAU was suggested to initiate the process for on-ground demarcation of the university land through survey of Pakistan, which will accompanied by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Quaid-e-Azam administration to ascertain the actual status of the university land.
CDA and ICT will also provide the relevant record and data to the university, regarding the land allotment. The authority asked the QAU that they would have to demolish the fresh encroachment on their allotted land at Kot Hatial through their own security staff in collaboration with the local administration and police.
Sources claimed that the new administration of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) vowed to resolve the long-standing issue of the disputed land of QAU, for which the faculty also records their protest several times before the National Press Club, Islamabad.