ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee’s Subcommittee on Railways meeting was held on Thursday to address issues of railways land encroachment.

The subcommittee was constituted in July 2024 to address issues of railway land encroachments and leases and will submit its report to the Standing Committee in 30 days.

The Ministry of Railways provided the sub-committee with a detailed briefing on its land encroachment by private sectors and disputes with government departments.

Pakistan Railways is intensifying its efforts to reclaim 13,792 acres of land, valued in billions of rupees that have been illegally occupied by private individuals and various government departments across the country.

The land encroachments are distributed as follows: approximately 5,809 acres in Punjab, 1,181 acres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5,948 acres in Sindh, and 1,034 acres in Balochistan.

The occupied land included commercial, residential, agricultural, and other types of encroachments. Specifically, about 769 acres are commercial, 3,309 acres residential, 5,512 acres agricultural, and 4,382 acres are occupied by various individuals or departments.

To address the issue, Railways has decided to expedite its anti-encroachment operations across the country. The four-member subcommittee met under convener Ramesh Lal.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024