Sources affiliated with this development told Business Recorder that the Land Acquisition Officer/AC Revenue Khairpur Nathan Shah had demanded from the authorities more than Rs 149 million mentioning that land's price was Rs 0.4 million per acre but not Rs 0.3 million per acre (old price of acquisition). The department had already released Rs 300 million as the price of land acquired for the said purpose of construction of Cadet College Kakar, Dadu district, they said.
Sources said that the provincial government was constructing the Cadet College at Kakar village of Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu district on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari. The Education and Literacy department is the main execution authority of this project. On the request of local representatives, Asif Ali Zardari had issued this kind of directive in 2010, during a meeting of high level officials and local representatives of Dadu district.
Following this, officials of the revenue department had identified a private land of 100 acres in Kakar village for this purpose and fixed the 0.3 million price of per acre. The award was approved and Rs 300 million was given to the various owners of the acquired land, sources said. The Directorate of Planning and Development, and the Education and literacy department were working to move the process to start the construction of the college, they added.
Things were moving smoothly when suddenly a letter reached the office of the Secretary Education and literacy with the signature of the Executive Engineer Education Works Division Dadu that the government should pay more than Rs 149 million rupees to the owners of land acquired for the cadet college Kakar, source revealed.
The copy of such a letter, available with Business Recorder, stated that: "It is submitted that the Scheme namely Construction of Cadet College at Village Kakar was approved with the modified PC-I cost of Rs 449.303 (Million) in the light of the decisions of the PDWP meeting held on 17.06.2010. In this context the provision of purchasing of land for the said scheme was kept in the PC-I for the extent of 100 acre at Rs 0.3 million per acre total Rs 300 million.
"Now the Land acquisition officer has passed the award under section-11 of the land acquisition Act, 1984 at the rate of Rs 0.400 (Million) per acre (Total Land acquired 104.22 acres) along with extra charges of 15% and 6% being the urgency clause charges and simple interest charges respectively, which become the total amount Rs 48.8 Million", it mentioned. Sources further told that considering the demand of more than Rs 149 million as price of land acquired illegally, the authorities cancelled this demand and closed the file permanently.