Lawyers on Monday observed a strike accusing District Coordination Officer (DCO) Noorul Amin Mengal of high-handedness after district authorities demolished part of an under-construction marriage hall owned by a lawyer.
The lawyers boycotted court hearings and cases were adjourned for later dates.
A general house meeting of Faisalabad Bar Association (FBA) was held under its president Chaudhary Tanveerur Rehman Randhawa.
Randhawa said that former bar secretary Rana Ali Abbas Khan was constructing a marriage hall on a piece of land owned by him on Canal Road.
He said the building plan had been approved by the town municipal authority administration. He said the building was being constructed in compliance with relevant rules.
He said the DCO had then ordered Saddar Assistant Commissioner (AC) Mushtaq Tiwana to demolish the building.
Randhawa said when Tiwana took a team to the house, Khan informed him of the situation.
“I took some lawyers, including former bar secretary Farrukh Gulzar Awan, and spoke to the assistant commissioner,” he said. “I told him that he was the in charge of the Saddar area whereas the building was being constructed in the City area.”
Randhawa said Tiwana had no authority in the area.
“I also asked him why the building was being demolished. The construction was not illegal.” He said the AC told him that he had been sent by the DCO and instructed “not to come back without demolishing the building.”
Randhawa appealed to the government to transfer the DCO from Faisalabad. He said the DCO was “victimising” the lawyers. He said lawyers would continue their strike on Tuesday (today).
DCO Noorul Amin Mengal told The Express Tribune that some parts of the building had been demolished because of for violating building rules.
He said he was not directly involved.
“I was told by the TMA staff that ownership rights for the 17-kanal land had been submitted. However, commercialisation of eight kanal was deposited,” he said. He said this was the wrong use of land for commercial business.
“Khan is building a marriage hall surrounded by boundary wall on 17 kanals. This marriage hall requires approval of the divisional commissioner through District Planning and Design Committee.”
He said the Land Development Committee also had to approve the construction. Mengal said, “I was told that action was taken on illegal construction. There was no discrimination against the lawyer who owned the building.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2014.