APP
Pakistan Railways has retrieved around 3,550 acres land across the country from illegal occupants since January 2012 under different anti-encroachment drives.
The anti-encroachment drive was being monitored by the divisional superintendents, railway headquarters and at the level of ministry, official sources in the Ministry of Railways told APP.
They said a comprehensive policy was in place to prevent further encroachments, making railway officers and police responsible `in case of any new encroachment.’
During the anti-encroachment campaign, they said, 1767 persons were arrested and they were under trial in the courts.
To a question, they said, the issue of illegal occupation and possession of Railways’ lands by government departments and institutions had also been taken up with concerned departments.
“It is an ongoing exercise, which will continue till the elimination of encroachments.”
Regarding the encroached land of Railways, they said 2,171 acres of land is under encroachment in Punjab, 1,189 acres in Sindh, 619 acres in Balochistan and 251 acres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They said that Pakistan Railways had a total of 167,690 acres land including 90,326 acres in Punjab, 39,428 acres in Sindh, 28,228 acres in Balochistan and 9,707 acres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.