Sit-in in Garam Chashma continues for the third day over loss of polo ground
CHITRAL: The sit-in of the residents of Injigan valley in Lower Chitral entered its third day in Garam Chashma here on Monday who are protesting against the loss of their centuries-old polo ground due to the negligence of the district administration.
The president of Lotkoh Development Forum (LDF) Nusrat Elahi told the local media that when a local person laid claim on a part of the polo ground’s land in the court of law, the district administration did not defend the case earnestly and also failed to appeal in the upper court against the decision of the lower court.
He said that the person got a decree from the court and occupied the piece of land as no status quo was obtained in the session’s court by the district administration.
He further alleged that earlier, due to the negligence of the district administration, the man had got the piece of land registered in his name during the ongoing land settlement process.
Mr. Elahi said that the loss of the chunk of the land had enraged the residents of the valley beyond description as it was the only playground in the area.
He said that all the residents of the valley are united in the platform of PDF shunning their political differences and are demanding of the government to save their sole playground which was state property since the last three centuries and was included in the extraordinary gazette notification of 1975.
He said that the residents of the valley are demanding of the government to purchase the piece of land from the man who had won the case solely due to the negligence of the relevant government officials.
“The residents of the valley are determined to go any extent of protest to get back the land of the pologround as it was the question of the future of the new generation who had no place of recreation other than it”, he added.
The president of LDF also condemned the National Highway Authority for its failure to fully restore the valley road which has failed to clear the road of the debris of snow avalanche after the widespread snowfall in the months of March and April.
He said that the LDF has also included in its agenda the clearance of the Garam Chashma and holding inquiry against the NHA officers for its negligence.
Giving his version, the Lower Chitral DC Muhammad Imran Khan said that the court proceedings and decree were before his tenure in the office.
He said that a solution to the big public issue was being hammered out with the decree holder and the land can be redeemed by paying him an agreed amount of money.
