The disgruntled land owners held a protest demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office here on Saturday against imposition of mine tax on minerals.
CHITRAL, (Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2018) : The disgruntled land owners held a protest demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office here on Saturday against imposition of mine tax on minerals. A large number of people attended the protest held against the district administration and Mine Department for calling tender of river belts to auction them. The protestors said that the district administration was trying to declare their lands destroyed due to erosion by floods and rivers as state property which was condemnable.
They said they have preservation about land settlement because their survey is not authentic and they have tried to convert personal land of local people in state property. They showed some verdicts of apex court and Peshawar High court that the case has been decided regarding river belt in their favor and the administration had barred from any disturbance. The protesters said there are very less number of land which can be used for agriculture etc because major parts of their land were damaged by flood and converted in river.
They said that any new law was firstly imposed on Chitral despite that Swat, Shangla, Lower and Upper Dir, Malakand are also parts of Malakand Division. People of Chitral are cool minded and civilized who hesitate to came on roads due to their politeness but it does not mean that they should be deprived of their rights, the protestors stated. They chanted slogan against the Deputy Commissioner and alleged that first he called us for meeting but later on he closed main gate of his office and referred them to ADC but his office was also close. Later on, Additional Deputy Commissioner Minhasuddin held a meeting with the protestors and assured them that the issue will be settled within a month.
