Grave matters

Squeezing space in the existing graveyards has pushed the government to look for land on the edge of the city in Kahna and Thay Panju

February 15, 2009
By Sajid Bashir

LAHORE: In a city where living is becoming expensive by the day, death has become even more costly.
In a city where about 70 percent people live in rented houses, it is a compulsion to buy land for their eternal resting place. A grave costs between Rs10,000 and Rs15,000 at present which is beyond the reach of the impoverished majority.
With the city graveyards cramped with no further space, it becomes difficult to arrange for a grave once someone dies.
There are over 350 big and small graveyards in the provincial metropolis out of which Miani Sahib is the biggest as well as the oldest. Most of the existing graveyards are suffering from disrepair and are in a state of dilapidation.
The biggest graveyard of the city Miani Sahab, located on Bahawalpur Road, ran out of space sometime back leaving the citizens puzzled over the funeral arrangements of their loved ones.
Miani Sahib has been divided into seven blocks. Each block is named after some famous writer, scholar or sufi. The graveyard stretched over 175 acres in the last century but now only a 100 acre is left. The rest is consumed by different communities and Qabza groups.
The graveyard mafia has encroached upon a large portion of land in the graveyards and has constructed boundary walls around them, covering large portions of the cemeteries.
The land grabbers have also made shops, houses and other edifices on caved-in graves, outside the boundary walls and even inside. Even drug addicts have been found stealing the shrouds and sheet of cloth to make money in the dark. And the local authorities responsible for the maintenance of graveyards have miserably failed to maintain their sanctity.
A case regarding encroachments in the premises of Miani Sahab graveyard is also pending before the Lahore High Court for the last two years.
The issue of shortage of land cropped up some four years back, since then the City District Government is 'searching' for a suitable replacement of Miani Sahib graveyard. The new project was named as Miani II.
The authorities have only made acquisition of land for graveyard an issue of Progress Review Meeting for the past many months.
Grave diggers are also taking full advantage of the situation and extract handsome amount from the relatives of the dead for providing a piece of land. The grave diggers, who virtually rule the graveyards, reportedly go to the extent of making fake graves.
Besides, as per the rules of the CDGL, all the housing societies being constructed in private and public sector are bound to reserve two per cent of the total land for graveyards but this rule has not been followed by most of them.
The City District Government Lahore is going to start a new project of second phase of Miani Sahab graveyard to overcome the problem of space.
The CDGL is working on this project for the last two years but could not find a specific big place for new graveyard. Now two pieces of land have been proposed for Miani Sahab graveyard phase II which is about 1800 kanals, The News on Sunday learnt from DDO Cantt (Revenue) Syeda Kalsoom who said the land would be purchased soon. She said the said lands, situated in two adjacent villages namely Kahna and Thay Panju have been finalised and the department is waiting for release of funds. DDO Cantt said that all the documentation has almost been completed and the construction of new graveyard phase II would start just after the department gets payment of Rs. 250 million from the CDGL.

Quality in question

Prices and quality of milk available in the city vary greatly and call for regulation by the government because milk is an essential food item

March 08, 2009
By Sajid Bashir

LAHORE: Milk prices vary greatly in the provincial metropolis and so does quality of milk but not according to the pricing. The prices vary from Rs 28 to Rs 42 per litre.
A survey conducted by TNS reveals that the daily consumption of milk in Lahore in summer season is around 1.6 million litres out of which 0.3 million is packed milk while the rest 1.3 million is loose milk and some 800 to 900 shops in each town of the city are selling milk.
The milk price varies from area to area and the milk dealers claim they are selling best quality milk and deserve higher rates while reports are to the contrary. A drive to check this variation was started on the instructions of former Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif on receiving complaints from the public. The Food Department was directed to take immediate measures to resolve this problem.
District Officer Live Stock (retd) Dr Aqeel says the dairy department has been neglected for 40 years due to which the milk quality and prices are not constant. "No one can control the price of milk until the supply of milk meets the demand. The sale of milk at Rs. 40 per litre is not much because one litre milk costs Rs 34 to the dealers as well as the Gawalas. As a result they have to sell adulterated milk to get healthy benefit in which chemicals like urea, caustic soda, refined oil, especially used and cheap cooking oil and commonly used detergents are mixed," he says.
These chemicals increase the shelf life of milk and remove traces of adulteration and mixing of hazardous chemicals. The district officer Live Stock says gawalas and farmers are also using oxytocin injections, a human female hormone, on buffaloes and cows to draw more milk. He says people, especially children drinking such milk, run the risk of developing female characteristics in the body like breasts, shrill voice and loss of hair on the face.
Dr Aqeel says it will take at least 10 years to stabilize the price and quality of milk in the city and a long term planning is required for that.
District Offier Food Dr Masood says the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) has decided to establish model shops in every town where it will ensure supply of quality milk on a uniform rate.
The plan to introduce a uniform rate of milk across the provincial metropolis was made by the former chief minister and the CDGL’s Food department was working hard to implement the plan. Now, after the change of government, the plan to introduce a uniform rate of milk across the city has shrunk to establishing some shops in every town.
In a recent meeting the District Coordination Officer (DCO) has asked the Food department to establish eight to ten model milk shops in every town of the city, he adds. District Officer Food says these shops will sell milk at a uniform rate and will also install lactometers to ensure the quality of milk.
He says special teams were also constituted to complete registration of all milk sellers, suppliers and dealers in the city. The department has sent a detailed summary to the DCO Lahore for final decision.
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Court premises turns into waterpool

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

By Sajid Bashir

LAHORE: The rain pour on Monday again turned the Lahore district and sessions courtís building into a pool of dirty water, despite the civic authorities assurance to the Lahore High Court several times in the recent past that proper measures would be taken to prevent the rain water from entering the premises of the courts.The Punjab government through the chief secretary and the secretary C&W, and the civic authorities represented by the MD Wasa had assured the LHC the previous month while appearing in a suo moto notice, giving an undertaking that all necessary steps would be taken to prevent rain water from gathering inside the court premises in future. They pleaded the court to dismiss the suo moto notice in view of that undertaking. The LHC CJ had taken suo moto notice following a flood-like situation was created inside the courts when rain water prevented the judicial officers and the public from even entering the court’s boundaries. A survey, conducted by The News after a short spell of rain on Monday, showed that the staff deployed for the cleanliness failed to clear the rain water from the district and sessions court building after the rain. All the major parts of the courts were drowned in the water. The only road at the court premises was showing the sight of a lake and all the drains were blocked due to the debris deposited there. The rain water was also entered the premises of the court rooms and balconies of the district and sessions court. People presents at the sessions courts premises said the rain water had turned the court building into a lake, adding in such circumstances how they could manage their jobs. The make-shift chambers of lawyers were also drowned in the water and they had to go back home because the stagnant water of the rain had ruined their work. First, there was no proper sitting place inside the courts building for the visitors. Secondly, the visitors could not even stand due to the stagnant rain water. A large number of lawyers complained that every time it rained their work routine was badly affected as the stagnant rain water blocked all the paths inside the district courts. They said how they could reach the court rooms in the presence of dirty stagnant water in the area of court building. The rain water also spoilt the furniture present in the make-shift chambers of lawyers.Majority of the typists who did their job under the open sky or beside the make-shift chambers of the lawyers were also inconvenienced due to the stagnant rain water. Raheem Baba, an old typist, said he had been doing the job for the last 40 years, adding that was the only source of income. But after the rain he has no place to sit in and do his work. He said the problem might be resolved after the completion of the new judicial complex. Ch Akram, a lawyer, said he had been coming to the sessions court building from the last 20 years and he had seen the court building in miserable condition after every rain. He said if the building department used the funds in a proper way, the problem could be solved. The visitors who had parked their vehicles inside the courts building before the rain, were really in trouble as they could not approach their vehicles due to the stagnant rain water in the parking area. When contacted, the building department supervisor said the land of the court building was low-lying. He further said the main sewer drain was a mile away from the courts building and the staff had to use water-pumps to drain the rain water from the court premises. He said building department staff had already made measurements to stop the rain water to enter the court premises. He said after the completion of the new judicial complex, all the problems would be solved.

Makro construction challenged

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

By Sajid Bashir
LAHORE: ENVIRONMENTAL Tribunal Punjab has been approached through a complaint to stop construction of Makro Store in Model Town, also questioning an Initial Environment Examination (IEE) report prepared by Environment Protection Agency. Petitioner Fazal Karim, resident of G-block, Darbar Pir Behram Shah Model Town, along with other residents of the area, filed a complaint against Chief Executive Makro, Habib Pakistan Limited, Secretary Model Town Society and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Punjab). The petitioner submitted in his compliant that the Chief Executive Makro had commenced construction of large cash and carry super store namely MAKRO at a grassy plot having numerous full-grown trees measuring about 78 Kanal situated at G-Block. This plot is under litigation for ownership rights and for declaration of the title because it had been cultivated by the petitioner and his elders. Earlier, a very old ancestral graveyard wherein elders and departed family members of the complainants were buried and a Mazaar of Baba Behram Shah had also been demolished and taken over illegally by the respondent proponents (Model Town Society). The complainant through his counsel Advocate High Court Akhtar H.Awan submitted that the proponents had not provided the clear documents to EPA, Punjab, along with the IEE report. Besides, the Model Town Society has also executed lease deed with the respondents without having lawful title of the land. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that Chief Executive Makro took over the possession of the land forcibly and illegally with the connivance of Model Town Society and local police. According to the Revenue Report, the land underneath the project was illegally leased out by the Model Town Society because of illegitimate possession of the said Society. He submitted that according to the IEE guidelines and regulations, it was mandatory to produce clear revenue record pertaining to the title and complete possession of the land for the proposed project. He contended that the EPA should have satisfied itself about the title of the land and before issuing the IEE report for the said project and the department should have assessed as well as public hearing was required before commencing construction and granting approval. He further submitted that the IEE report was defective and misrepresented wherein the exact potential environmental effects were not assessed nor mitigation measures were proposed. The conditions of the Environmental Approval were not according to the laws of EPA, he added. The complaint stated that numerous cases were pending adjudication before different courts and in some cases courts had granted stay in favour of the real owners of the land. In the light of above facts, the complainant through his counsel prayed before the court that the IEE approval for the construction of the said project might be cancelled and the construction of the said project might be stopped at the present disputed site.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/print1.asp?id=165596

Arbitrary charges

The City District Government must display parking rates at the different stands to save the public from being fleeced.

March 01, 2009
By Sajid Bashir:

Almost all the parking stands across the city have doubled the parking fees for all kinds of vehicles while the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) holds the Town Administrations responsible for the mess.
According to CDGL rules, a parking stand can only charge Rs 10 for a car, Rs 5 for a motorcycle and Rs 3 for a cycle whereas most of the parking stands are charging more than these prescribed rates. This is very disturbing for people. There are only 49 approved motorcycle and car parking stands on 32 major city roads by the City District Government (CDG) Public Facilities department, while 300 parking stands are operating illegally with the 'connivance' of the officials of the said department.

The problem of overcharging at parking stands is not a new phenomenon and a large number of public complaints against such contractors who are operating these parking stands illegally, are awaiting action from the CDGL. This has resulted in parking at places which result in traffic mess on these roads.

All of these parking stands are situated alongside the main roads covering 20 to 30 feet area of the roads, which has caused terrible traffic mess. Almost all the main roads such as The Mall, Jail Road, Ferozepur Road, Egerton Road, Mcleod Road, Main Boulevard Gulberg, Davis Road, Multan Road etc have become a hub of legal and illegal parking stands. Most of these stands have encroached upon the service lanes besides the main roads.

It is pertinent to mention here that most of the restaurants, hotels, private hospitals, schools and colleges, banks, multi nationals and commercial buildings have also granted parking stand contracts outside their premises. While the CDGL rules say the commercial ventures can establish a parking stand, they can not charge.

A shopkeeper at the Hall Road Market said traffic in the area remain locked all day due to extraordinary extension of the parking stands established on both sides of the main road at the market's entrance. No action has been taken by the CDGL or the concerned town administration despite repeated complaints. The shopkeeper asks, "Are the contractors so influential?"

The Neela Gumbad Market is a clear example of the fact. Many parking stand owners are charging Rs 20 per car and Rs 10 per motorcycle. A parking stand outside Lahore High Court (LHC) is also charging Rs 10 for a motorcycle and Rs 20 for a car. "I went to LHC with a friend for some official work and on return the parking stand staff charged me Rs 20. When I protested the parking stand staff said the CDGL has increased the rates at which parking contracts are awarded so I have to pay him Rs. 20, said Wajih Ahmad, a resident of New Chauburji.

"This is a mafia and instead of facilitating commuters these stands are minting huge money from them," said Zahid Bashir, a resident of Johar Town. He had gone for shopping at Panorama Centre and had parked his car with his laptop in it in the parking stand nearby. When he returned, his laptop was missing. The parking stand staff said they were not responsible for that and advised him to go to police. He said if they are not responsible for taking care of the vehicles then what for do they charge Rs 20 per car.

The City District Government should install its own signboards displaying the rates along with the phone numbers of Public Facilities Officers on its parking stands to discourage overcharging by

contractors, said Ali Gul, a student of King Edward Medical University.

Afraz Ahmed, District Officer (Public Facilities) while talking to TNS on the issue, said the CDGL is taking strict and immediate measure to stop overcharging by the contractors to facilitate the commuters. He said he had taken the charge of the seat one month back and since then a number of cases have been registered against such contractors. He said the CDGL had repeatedly informed the town administrations about the issue.

Answering a question about parking stands established by private parties outside their premises, a hotel/restaurant, an office and a hospital, he said they can establish a parking stand but can not

charge. He said the general public can lodge complaint of overcharging with him and he will take immediate action against the responsible person.

– Sajidthenews@gmail.com