LHC seeks report on graves in Miani Sahib

LAHORE

The Lahore High Court on Saturday directed the Deputy Commissioner Lahore furnish a report on 456 places allotted to different persons for graves in the Miani Sahib graveyard for many years.

A division bench headed by Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan asked the DC, who is also chairman of Miani Sahib Graveyard Committee, to file a report that under which law the places were allocated to different persons and families and what were their vested rights. The court also asked about names of the persons who were allotted the places and what was the mechanism for retrieving the places from them.

The court issued the order  while hearing an an intra-court appeal against encroachments around the graveyard. The court put off further hearing until April 12. The court also directed the committee chairman to inform it about record of the total area of the graveyard and how much land had been vacated from illegal occupants so far. The court also directed him to inform the court that how much land was still in the possession of illegal occupants and what modus operandi would be adopted by the committee to get remaining land vacated from illegal occupation. 

Commissioner Lahore Division Abudllah Khan Sumban, Deputy Commissioner Lahore, Sumair Syed, and Secretary (colonies) Board of Revenue, Ch Ilyas, appeared before the court. The commissioner and the DC informed the court that six walls of the graveyard had been completed and four inner walls were yet to be completed. Stay orders have been vacated and they undertook before the court that the process of construction of the remaining walls would complete in 15 days.

The court directed the commissioner and the DC to take steps for construction of pathways in the graveyard, make arrangements for proper lighting.

Hideouts of criminals should be eliminated. The exercise will be completed within six weeks, the court ordered.