‘Expedite Miani Sahib clean-up drive’

LAHORE: Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi of the Lahore High Court on Friday ordered to gear up campaign for removal of encroachments from Miani Sahib graveyard and retrieval of other areas land from squatters and lodge cases against them.

The judge also ordered deputy commissioner to get land vacated and recover penalty from grabbers. He ordered the deputy commissioner and secretary local government to comply with the order and submit compliance report until next date of hearing.

Additional secretary local government Shahid Zaman appeared and informed that the action had already been launched against illegal construction on the graveyard land and other adjacent areas.

Lahore Deputy Commissioner Samir Ahmed Syed, who is also chairman of the Miani Sahib Graveyard Committee, informed that the assistance from other departments would also be sought for removal of encroachments from the graveyards and other areas of the provincial capital.

He said that joint action would be launched against land mafia.

Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi ordered the chairman to call committee meeting every month and also nominated Lahore High Court Bar Association president Zulfiqar Ali Chaudhry as its member.

The judge ordered that the administration should expedite the work to eliminate land mafia; otherwise, lord mayor would be summoned. He also ordered that the contract for lightening and security should be given after nod from the graveyard committee. The judge was hearing a petition against illegal acquisition of graveyard land.