LAHORE - Illegal occupation is at full throttle on more than 4000 kanals of central government land worth billion of rupees in Cantt circle, Moza Harbanspura within Aziz Bhatti Town, despite governments rhetoric to cleanse the province from land mafia. The Supreme Court of Pakistan had cancelled all allotments made by the Board of Revenue (BOR) at different times, terming them as illegal in 2004. All transfer deeds were annulled. Data regarding cancellation of allotments was incorporated in the revenue record. The SC had also ordered to take back all land allotted by the BOR against the rules. But apex courts move could not make any impact as the Revenue Department, which had to execute the orders, remained tepid, and just bothered to make sporadic actions. More than 20 FIRs were registered against land grabbers, but some loopholes were deliberately left in these reports. Thus, due to poor FIRs, action could not be carried out against the accused. In the backdrop of lukewarm policy, land grabbers continued their illegal operation. Now, they are at liberty, and hence have intensified their unlawful drive with all might. At present a number of illegal housing schemes have sprung into action, and the business of sale and purchase of government land is at a fast clip. When contacted DDO (R) Cantt Saleh Saeed told The Nation that those lands, whose allotments were nullified by the Supreme Court were the property of the government. Nobody can be allowed to construct there, she maintained and added that the Revenue Department had launched numerous operations with registration of FIRs. To a query about Patwari Tahir Shahs authority to allow construction on cancelled lands, she replied that investigation was going on and those found involved in this illegality would have to bear the brunt. With the onset of 2009, the Chief Minister Punjab constituted a special cell to nip land mafia in the bud. The cell compiled written details of government land at the level of every Moza. Meanwhile, district government officials used specific colours for marking Khasra numbers of government lands throughout the revenue records to differentiate government land with private land. The army of patwaris did this work with rigorous efforts. On April 19, 2009, the Punjab government ordered survey of the state land and formed a committee in this regard. The CM issued directives while presiding over a meeting regarding the fixing of priorities under the annual development programme at the CM Secretariat. The meeting was also participated by PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif and other central leaders of the party. On the day of announcement of special cell against land grabbers, CM Shahbaz Sharif warned of taking strict action, if authorities concerned failed to perform up to mark. After government pressure, officials of the Revenue Department started filing only floppy and faulty applications deliberately against land grabbers that lead to the registration of merely bail-able FIRs. Since bail-able FIRs usually pave the way for avoiding imprisonment and strict legal action, illegal occupants felt let loose to gear up their operation with impunity. CM Punjabs Personal Staff Officer Khawaja Imran Raza also ordered LDA, PHA and Revenue Department to conduct detailed survey of illegal occupations on state lands, and submit a comprehensive report. Earlier, Commissioner Khusro Pervez directed the officials concerned in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib and Kasur to designate special survey teams to submit detailed data about occupied government plots and lands.