ISLAMABAD: The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has sought assistance from the National Assembly Standing Committee on Port and Shipping for resolution of sub-judice cases pertaining to ownership of land with the provincial government of Sindh.
Therefore, the committee is likely to invite the Chief Secretary or Secretary Revenue Board Sindh to next meeting to be held on February 23 here” a well placed source at National Assembly Secretariat told this scribe here on Thursday.
Both the government organizations are spending millions of national money and resources on litigation because dozens of cases of ownership of land between KPT and Sindh Government are lying pending with the courts.
The difference of opinion over the ownership of land is a long standing issue between the provincial government and the federal government. The issue was already taken with reference with the KPT’s alleged occupation on the land in the City.
Thousands of acres of land given to Pakistan for operational purpose were another bone of contention between the Sindh government and central government. The issue is also pending due to difference of opinion between the two sides.
KPT claims close to 250 acres of land along the Mai Kolachi Bypass from the wetlands where once mangrovesand flamingos used to be the norm. The Sindh Board of Revenue sprang into action and took the KPT to court asserting its position that all land belongs to the Sindh Board of Revenue and KPT was required to lease it from them.
KPT on the other hand asserted its position that the Sindh Board of Revenue had no claim and that they were entitled to act as the owner of all land within roughly 50 yards of the high water mark. The courts decided that a “third party interest” had been created, meaning that the ordinary and innocent public that now owned those plots should not be made to suffer because of a dispute between these two parties.
Normally, KPT leases out plots on nominal rates for a period of one year, however, when it asks the person to vacate the patch of land after the completion of leasing period, the other party contacts the court and get stay order, which prolongs for years and years.
KPT leased out land to different people, organisations and they have the right to do any thing in the specified areas. KPT leased out 130 acres land to the housing society and the extra land they reclaimed.
The Survey of Pakistan carried out the KPTOCH occupied 155 acres land. Therefore KPT has asked the society to return 25 acres extra land and not a single house was constructed there. There were cases on land of the society between the Sindh government and KPT over the title of land provided for housing society.
The sea beach has been partially reclaimed by the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and is the property of the federal government notified as KPT area.
Sindh Government claims that federal government’s ministries and organizations, including Pakistan Railways, Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority, Malir Cantonment (Malir Cantt), Defence Housing Authority and other federal organizations have occupied about 33,000 acres area of land of the provincial government. The land is the property of Sindh government which comes under the control of Board of Revenue Department.
KPT management is willing to opt for out of court settlement of land disputes and sub judice cases with Sindh government so that both the state organizations may save national money and resources.
