The Sindh High Court has issued notices to the land utilisation department, National Accountability Bureau and others on a petition seeking an inquiry into proposed allotment of 19,600 acres of land in Malir for the purpose of Education City project.
The petitioner, Ghulam Akbar, had submitted in the petition that the Sindh government’s land utilisation department sent a summary to provincial cabinet for allotment of 10,706 acres of land to the Education City project on request of Education City Board Chairperson Dr Asim Hussain.
He submitted that the chief minister had earlier allotted 9600 acres land situated in different dehs of District Malir to the Education City project but the project could not be developed. He submitted that the CM once again granted the request for approval of 10,706 acres of land in District Malir for the project despite pending long-standing issues of extension of agriculture lease .
The petitioner alleged that such exercise had been conducted in collusion with the revenue officials to usurp the precious agriculture land of the farmers. He submitted that the Supreme Court had already imposed a ban on the transfer of the land of District Malir. He said that the proposed allotment of the land would jeopardise the rights of the famers.
The high court was requested to direct the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to conduct an inquiry in respect of the proposed allotment of the land for the Education City project and take appropriate action in accordance with the law.
A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon after a preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to the land utilisation department, NAB, revenue officials of District Malir, Education City board chairperson and others and called their comments on the next date of hearing.
