Pakistan Railways Steps Up Efforts to Recover 13,927 Acres of Encroached Land

Pakistan Railways Steps Up Efforts to Recover 13,927 Acres of Encroached Land

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan Railways has accelerated efforts to retrieve nearly 13,972 acres of its land worth billions of rupees that has been illegally occupied across the country.

According to official data, 1,181 acres are under encroachment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5,948 acres in Sindh, 1,034 acres in Balochistan and 5,809 acres in Punjab.

The illegally occupied land includes commercial, residential and agricultural plots held by different individuals or entities. Specifically, 769 acres are for commercial use, 3,309 acres residential, 5,512 acres agricultural and 4,382 acres encroached by various parties.

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In a countrywide anti-encroachment drive, railways divisions have started operations to recover the land after issuing notifications under the 1965 Possession Ordinance. Encroachers are given 14 days notice to remove any structures on railway land.

Experts say the drive is crucial to reclaim prime real estate assets misused for profits across Pakistan’s railway network. Retrieving the thousands of acres can provide revenue for railways’ development projects.