A parliamentary panel on Thursday directed for a crackdown against the encroachers on 4246.9 acres of Pakistan Railways lands across the country. The Sub-Committee of the National Assembly Standing committee on Railways met with Ramesh Lal in the chair where it was decided to visit all provinces and sites to expedite the process of vacating PR land from the encroachers.
The committee expressed annoyance over not vacating of 82 kanals of Railways land from a former Patwari in Rawalpindi and summoned DCO in the next meeting. The committee also directed to present the report about 100 shops and kiosks built on plots, temporary allotted to widows and children of PR employees, which were sold in many places. Next meeting of the committee would be held in Peshawar where the report would be discussed.
Additional General Manager Infrastructure Humayun Rasheed, Director Land and Property Arshad Salam Khattak, Director General Technical Syed Munawar Shah and DS Railways Rawalpindi Abdul Malik briefed the committee members. Convenor of the committee Ramesh Lal directed the PR officers for taking practical measures with the support of its police to vacate Railways land from the encroachers. Nobody is powerful or above the law, he added.
The committee while appreciating cleanliness at Railways stations, improving food quality at restaurants and punctuality of trains, directed for further improvement in its services. The committee was informed that Railways land worth Rs 9.9 billion was vacated from encroachers during last three years. It was further informed that Rs 132 million were earned from eight acres land vacated during last 10 months in Rawalpindi division, while record of 62 acres land in Rawalpindi was not available.
It was further informed that Railways land is being computerised which may help increase Railways lands. The committee was informed that police and administration was not co-operating in Sindh to vacate lands from the encroachers. Director Land and Property informed that land occupied by the government and defence institutions are not being considered as encroached; however, the Railways is not getting any revenue from such lands.
It was further informed that due to narrow gauge track in some parts of KP, trains are not operational. However land on both sides of track was utilised for expansion of roads. Ramesh Lal directed for launching operation against encroachers from Larkana to vacate precious Railways land.
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