Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said on Wednesday that all railway lands located along the rail track would be transformed into green belts and parks with the help of the City District Government and Parks & Horticulture Authority.
The minister disclosed this while talking to media at Walton Railways Station after inspecting railway lands from Shahdara to Raiwind by a special train.
The minister was accompanied by District Coordination Officer (DCO) Lahore Capt (r) Muhammad Usman, Commissioner Abdullah Sumbal, PHA Vice-Chairman Iftikhar Ahmed and Railways General Manager Javed Anwar Boobak.
Rafique said that all encroachments on railway lands linked with the tracks near populated areas would be retrieved, if necessary; otherwise, houses along the track would be given a 10-feet way.
He said that Pakistan Railways would also offer the PHA to establish nurseries on its lands in accordance with the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
To a question, the minister said that Pakistan Railways was fighting a war against encroachment mafia on the various sectors and had retrieved pieces of land worth billions of rupees.
On the occasion, PHA Vice-Chairman Iftikhar Ahmed said that people and their children residing near the railway track were not safe. He said that the people should cooperate with the management for making the lands green.
Commissioner Lahore Division Sumbal said the Punjab chief minister had approved the project and its implementation phase would soon be started after documentation.
