Railways retrieve 1,028 acres land from illegal occupants

Official says anti-encroachment operations in light of the directives of the Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Railways has retrieved as many as 1,028 acres of its land worth millions of rupees from illegal occupants during various anti-encroachment operations across the country.

"A many as 503 acres retrieved in Punjab, 151 acres in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 341 acres in Sindh and only 33 acres in Balochistan," an official in Railways Ministry told APP.

He said that about 3,287 acres in Punjab, 832 acres in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 5,180 acres in Sindh, and 687 acres of land in Balochistan were being encroached.

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The official said that in light of the directives of the Supreme Court, the anti-encroachment operations for retrieval of encroached railway land all over the Railway network were initiated and a joint procedure order was issued to all divisional superintendents for retrieval of Railways land from encroachment.

"The anti-encroachment schedules, on a three months basis, are being prepared and sent to all concerned in line with the joint procedure order," the official added.

He said Pakistan Railways had also decided to accelerate its ongoing anti-encroachment operation against land grabbers across the country to recoup its land from different individuals, groups, and even business organisations who were using it for residential, commercial, and agriculture purposes for decades.

"The encroachment operation will be launched with the assistance of Railway Police and district administrations of the relevant provincial governments," he added.