RAWALPINDI: Punjab government’s decision to sell old buildings housing government offices through auction to deal with the current financial crises has raised fears that hundreds of people could become unemployed.
Punjab is presently facing worst fiscal crunch in its history and floods have only added fuel to the fire by deepening the crises manifolds. The government of Punjab, has, however, deemed it fit to drag the province out of the financial mire by auctioning the historical buildings through Punjab Liquidation Board.
In this connection an auction will be held at the Commissioner’s Office on September 27 under the auspices of Punjab Liquidation Board. In the auction, 37 kanals and six marlas of costly land located at Fawara Chowk, Jinnah Road and Kashmiri Bazaar, where buildings of defunct Municipal Corporation as well as offices of Tehsil and police department are located would be put on sale.
Banners have already been displayed at different places in Rawalpindi informing interested parties about the date of auction. Earlier, the board had fixed July 24 for the auction but due to unknown reasons, the auction was postponed.
The announcement of new date of auction has panicked owners of several shops at Fawara Chowk, as hundreds of people, who are earning their livelihood from these shops, would lose their jobs.
The shopkeepers held a protest demonstration on Thursday during which they demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry take suo motu notice of the matter and stop auction of precious land to the blue-eyed boys of local MNAs at once.
“Auction of our shops would amount to snatching the last loaf of bread from our mouths in these times of price-hike,” they shouted.
“If the Punjab government does not take its words back, we may commit suicides along with our children,” the shopkeepers threatened.
HM replied on Friday, September 24, 2010 02:04 PM
This article is a sad reflection on the feeling of entitlement and hypocrisy that ails society. That the property belongs to the Govt is clear, and what is the Govt is actually property of the public, and moreso, the tax-paying public.
It is likely that many of the shopkeepers have been paying well-below market rent for many years, but now consider it their right whereas it is not. Further, it is likely they have not been forthright income tax-payers. While this is a generalization, it holds true for most instances such as these.
In order to keep what is not their birthright, but at most a case for continuing tenancy, they are willing to 'commit suicide'. Suicide is an unforgiveable sin. And many of these shopkeepers would be 'namazi' with fine specimens of beards, and prone to play cassettes of recitation in the morning in the rented shops they would die for.
How does one even begin to reinstate or, rather, introduce basic values when things are this bad. Sorry for the pessimism. |
