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Land mafia out to grab washed away lands

The last year’s flash floods in Pakistan had rendered millions of people of rural areas homeless losing their billion of rupees worth valuables and other belongings. Majority of them are still taking shelter in relief camps with their unresolved miseries. Their awful tale does not end here as the flash floods had washed away the demarcations of the muddy boundaries of their agriculture as well as residential lands in almost all the provinces. This situation has lured the corrupt mafia and feudals, which have now become active and started grabbing these unmarked lands thus opening the gates of corruption and malpractices. These corrupt elements have started encroaching canals, streams and rivers, despite the imposition of section 144 banning construction closer to the bank of rivers and streams until proper demarcation of these areas. These increased constructions are a brazen proof of mockery the law by the land mafia. The situation especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh virtually has gone from bad to worst as the official record of majority of the lands was also washed away during the devastated floods. Moreover, the mafia has access to higher authorities in government departments and is vigorously maneuvering to get official cover for the illegal constructions on these still unmarked lands. This state of affairs may cause delay in annual cropping schedule and subsequent food security risks in the country as majority of the farmers are still living their miserable life at relief camps waiting for the government to launch the rehabilitation process in their respective areas. In many cases, the marooned farmers using their own meager resources had repatriated to their washed away lands and properties and are now residing under the open sky bracing all difficulties of the biting chill fearing that their lands might be usurped by influentials. It was also observed that dozens of farmers, fearing that any feudal of their areas might grab their lands, did not shift from the properties till the flash floods washed them away along with their all belongings. Though the government has done its ‘proper’ flood damage assessment process months back, yet no substantial progress has so far been made to ensure complete rehabilitation of the destroyed areas. The issue has turned grave and the relevant authorities need to heed to this critical situation without any further delay. Pakistan is an agrarian state and about 75 per cent of its population is attached with the agriculture related businesses and agro-economic industries. Any further delay in this regard would incur more losses to the already groaning rural population.
http://www.technologytimes.pk/mag/2011/feb11/issue03/ed_tweet.php