State land worth Rs26 billion recovered

8,676 kanals were retrieved between October 2 and December 31

LAHORE: The district administration retrieved state land worth over Rs26 billion from encroachers and land grabbers between October 2 and December 31, said Lahore Deputy Commissioner Saleha Saeed on Tuesday.

A total of 8,676 kanals were retrieved during this period; 1,967 kanals were retrieved in the city’s tehsil, 3,646 kanals in Raiwand tehsil, 1,674 kanals in Model Town tehsil, 620 kanals in Shalimar tehsil and 735 kanal in Cantt tehsil.

The district administration has also registered 436 cases at different police stations against land grabbers and has issued warning notices to 5,655 shopkeepers over encroachments, she said. She maintained that the administration had also demolished 10,780 illegal concrete structures from different areas in the city in addition to conducting massive encroachment operations in Johar Town and Shahlam areas.



On Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner Anam Zahid conducted an operation against temporary encroachments in Shahdara Chowk, one of the busiest entry and exit points in the city. The local administration, traffic police and other government agencies took part in the operation and removed various temporary encroachments that were creating hurdles in the flow of traffic.

She maintained that Shahdara Chowk is Lahore’s main junction. Several measures had been taken to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. Removing U-turns and banning heavy traffic from entering Old Ravi Bridge are a few measures undertaken to ensure the smooth flow of traffic, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2019.