Punjab govt retrieves grabbed land worth Rs180 billion: minister

LAHORE: Punjab’s Minister for Local Government and Community Development, Muhammad Basharat Raja, said that the provincial local bodies have evacuated illegally possessed land worth Rs180 billion during an ongoing anti-encroachment drive, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Basharat Raja said that the Punjab authorities have retrieved more than one lakh acres of state land during the anti-encroachment drive.

The development was highlighted during a high-level meeting under the chair of the minister to review performance of the Local Government department for removing encroachments in the province.

While detailing the progress, the minister said that 7,354 acre land worth Rs145 billion was evacuated in Lahore Division and 58,177 acre in Dera Ghazi Khan.

20,963 acre land was recovered in Faisalabad, 11,740 in Sargodha, 4,709 acre in Sahiwal, 3,873 acre in Multan, 3,312 acre in Gujranwala, 2,695 acre in Bahawalpur and 909 acre land in Rawalpindi, he added.

Raja directed the deputy commissioners (DCs) and officers to continue the anti-encroachment drive besides issuance of warning to the heads of concerned departments for strict action over showing negligence.

On October 25 last year, Buzdar said that the anti-encroachment operation was initiated against influential and mighty land grabbers and not the underprivileged.

“I have directed the authorities that hapless people or daily wage earners should not be targeted in the operation,” said the CM.

The CM added that anti-encroachment committees have been established at the level of districts and these committees are empowered to take action in case of any complaint.