Encroachers to face the music: law minister

Punjab Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Cooperatives Muhammad Basharat Raja has said that the government-owned land would be recovered from the land mafia and strict legal action would be taken against the land grabbers and their accomplices.

The minister expressed these views while presiding over a meeting at the office of Punjab Cooperative Board for Liquidation (PCBL) on Friday. The meeting reviewed performance and problems of the PCLB, wherein Board Chairman Tariq Mahmood Javed and other officers briefed the provincial minister.

“The Punjab government will enact necessary laws to remove the barriers and enhance performance of the PCLB,” Basharat Raja added. He directed the authorities concerned to extend all possible assistance for disposing of all the pending cases of the Board properties.

Moreover, the law minister ordered full cooperation between the commissioner concerned and regional police officer (RPO) to end illegal possession of state land. Speaking on the occasion he said that the chairman must undertake steps to recover all outstanding loans and send a report to him every week. “Side by side, the process of transparent auction of litigation-free properties should start immediately.”