Daily Times

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has started probe into the land allotment and 99-year lease of a water pump in Model Colony, officials told Daily Times on Thursday.

Hina Aftab, investigation officer, has asked the Board of Revenue Sindh to provide record along with papers of allotment.

According to documents, Goth emerged in 2011 and without taking into account and any sort of verification besides adopting legal procedure, former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah approved the Goth scheme on February 12, 2012.

Around 4.10 acres of Deh Mehran land has been given to Juma Khan Jamot Goth, comprising of 99 units with 66 constructed houses on the land besides 22 residential-cum- commercial plots. A mosque has already been built on the site while four amenities plots have also been allotted to the Goth people.

Deputy commissioner (east), AC (Revenue) East, ADC-II and Supervising Tapadar submitted a proposal for allotment of the land in the office of secretary Land Utilisation Sindh in 2012, according to land record received by NAB.

Later secretary land utilisation moved a summary to Qaim Ali Shah for allotment and lease to the Goth.

The former CM approved the occupancy price of the land on the pretext of declaring Zone-VI as Katchi Abadi on rural area grounds like lands of Baldia, Mauripur and Surjani Town.

The allotment rate of land had been fixed from Rs 25 to 230 per square yards for residential purpose and rate for residential-cum-commercial fixed from Rs 80 to Rs 300 per square yards and rate for commercial plots had been fixed from Rs 300 to Rs 500 per square yard.

According to land record grabbed by NAB, land of Goth lies near Karachi Airport and few meters away from main Shahrah-e-Faisal and Malir Cantt.

NAB officials said the Supreme Court has imposed ban on allotment in Karachi after illegal allotments and land grabbing.

NAB has also decided to take legal action against Ali Muhammad Jamot who was said to be the main accused in the land scam.

An official of KWSB said that they could not take action against these people as they have been protected by influential people.

The water pumping station supplies drinking water to all union councils and areas of Model Colony, he informed.