Railways recovers land worth 50 billion in Lahore

LAHORE: Pakistan Railways has successfully carried out a major anti-encroachment operation in the Mehmood Booti area of Lahore, reclaiming 15 acres of valuable land worth Rs 50 billion, ARY News reported.

According to reports, the recovered land had been illegally developed into a housing society. The area also housed seven factories, seven markets, and two petrol pumps.

Pakistan Railway authorities have sealed the housing society, commercial markets, and petrol pumps during the operation.

Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi commended the Lahore railway administration for the successful operation and reaffirmed that such actions will continue across the country to reclaim encroached railway land.

It is worth noting that a few years ago, illegal occupation was reported on 403 acres of Pakistan Railways land in the Rawalpindi Division. However, only 60 acres have been recovered over the past three years.

During a briefing to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, it was revealed that Pakistan Railways owns a total of 16,477 acres in the Rawalpindi Division, out of which 403 acres are under illegal occupation—160 acres by private individuals and 243 acres by government departments.

The committee was also briefed on the auction policy regarding railway scrap during the same session.

Earlier, Pakistan Railways updated and enhanced security measures for the trains due to the recent incident involving the Jaffar Express.

According to details provided in the National Assembly, Frontier Corps (FC) and Railway Police will provide the security responsibilities for these trains.

Additionally, 35 officers equipped with modern weapons have been deployed to the Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail to counter any possible threats and ensure the safety of passengers during travel.

Moreover, Pakistan Railways has also announced two important security projects worth PKR 8 billion.

For one of these projects, having an advanced security system Integrated, the Railway will receive PKR 3.1 billion in funding. This has also been suggested to be included in the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) 2025-2026.

Security concerns rose following a terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express in Balochistan, where security forces speedily reacted, eradicating three terrorists.