By Ejaz Arshad Cheema
RAWALPINDI: The Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) has issued notice to Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) on a complaint lodged by a local landlord who accused the officers of the civic body for helping owner of a private housing society in grabbing government-owned land in Mouza Kalri, informed sources said on Thursday.
The notice was issued to RDA high ups by the Circle Officer (CO) Shahid Sharif of Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) Rawalpindi Region on complaint number 854-cc-2023 lodged by a local landlord, Muhammad Safeer Raja, they said.
The RDA high ups, who are facing corruption charges and helping a notorious land grabber Raja Ishaq of Clifton Town, will attend a hearing at the anti graft body today (Friday), sources said.
According to sources, Muhammad Safeer Raja, a resident of Kalri, appeared before CO of ACE Rawalpindi Region and lodged a complaint, stating a notorious land grabber namely Raja Ishaq has launched a housing society named “Clifton Town” adjacent to Gulshanabad Housing Society on Adiala Road.
He alleged that Raja Ishaq had expanded his housing society by grabbing land that actually was owned by the government and the other local landlords. “The accused has committed the crime of land grabbing with connvance of officers of the RDA and Land Revenue Department Rawalpindi,” alleged the applicant.
He told the anti graft body that the land revenue officer (Patwari) had showed a piece of government-owned land measuring 24 kanals and 18 marlas, situated in Khewat Number 102, Khatoni Number 292 and Khasra Number 255, not in the name of Raja Ishaq, who is wanted by police in a series of criminal cases, but also tempered with the land record.
He said some officers of RDA had given approval to illegal expansion of housing society owned by Raja Ishaq against hefty bribes.
Muhammad Safeer Raja told the ACE Rawalpindi Region investigators that Raja Ishaq had also grabbed his piece of land located in Khasra Numbers 391/38/254/253/252 in Kalri with help of the land revenue department.
He said that he had lodged a complaint with ASP/SDPO Saddar dated 24/1/2023 requesting to write a letter to Land Revenue Department for demarcation of land owned by him but it was not done so far due to Raja Ishaq’s strong links in Land Revenue Department.
The applicant appealed to the ACE Rawalpindi Region CO to hold inquiry against the RDA and officers of Land Revenue Department for helping Raja Ishaq in grabbing government-owned land.
Taking action, CO ACE Rawalpindi Region Shahid Sharif issued a notice to RDA seeking the relevant record.
