Rangers to be deployed to retrieve land from encroachers

The Islamabad Capital Territory administration has decided to deploy Rangers in Sector G-14 to get the encroached land vacated from the land grabbers so that the much-awaited development of the sector could be started.
In a meeting chaired by Islamabad Chief Commissioner Tariq Mahmood Pirzada, it was decided that Rangers would be deployed in Sector G-14 to remove the landholders who have already been paid cost of their land under an award announced in 2005. The Ministry of Housing and Works some years back purchased 4,000 kanals of land in the said sector from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for Federal Government Housing Foundation to construct houses for government employees.
However, so far it could not take possession of all the purchased land. In 2008, the ICT administration helped the ministry by clearing 2,400 kanals of land of total 4,000 kanals. Later, most of the land was again occupied by the land grabbers.
During Thursday’s meeting, it was decided that the local administration on Friday (today) would deploy Rangers in the said sector to check the encroachments. It was also decided that two pickets would also be established by the Housing Foundation to keep an eye on the land grabbers. It was decided that the officials concerned of FGEHF would be responsible for strictly checking any encroachment in the area by daily visits.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmed, District Collector Farasat Ali Khan, the land acquisition collector and officials of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation. The deputy commissioner gave a detailed briefing to the participants about the acquisition of land in the said sub-sectors and handing over possession of land to the FGEHF.
He told the participants as soon as the land acquisition collector received the list of award of built-up property of sub-sector, G-14/3 from the FGEHF, he would issue a public notice of 15 days, which was mandatory under the Land Acquisition Act.
The officials of the FGEHF told the participants that they had given a tender notice in the newspapers for starting development work in Sector G-14/2, 3 and development work in G-14/3 would be started forthwith after completing the procedure as 2,000 kanals of land is available in the sub-sector.
It was decided that all the officials of related departments and allotees would hold meetings twice a week in the office of district collector to expedite the matter.
The DC said that all the departments were required to work together to make the project a great success, ensuring transparency and alleviate the suffering of allotees. The allotees appreciated the efforts and work of the ICT administration done in sectors G-14/1, 2 and 3 and asked the officials of FGEHF to immediately start development work in Sector G-14/3, in the first phase besides stopping any encroachment in the area.