Lahore: Authorities have retrieved several chunks of land measuring over 84,000 acres from land grabbers, a news source reported. This was disclosed during a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar that was held to review progress on the ongoing operation against land grabbers and encroachments.
The total worth of the land recovered so far is PKR 145 billion. The authorities removed 22,156 temporary and demolished 20,722 permanent encroachments besides retrieving 84,000 acres of land from land grabbers.
On his part, the chief minister reiterated the government’s resolve to retrieve land from powerful land mafias. He, however, warned against carrying out the anti-encroachment operation in slums.
The participants were also told to come up with feasible recommendations to best utilise such properties and compile a comprehensive report in this regard.
Buzdar said that district-level anti-encroachment committees should regularly monitor the progress, adding that he himself is regularly monitoring this progress.
The district government is also deliberating on plans to provide financial compensation or alternative residential units to families residing in dilapidated buildings. A survey would be conducted prior to taking any action against such structures and establishments so that proper mechanism could be devised to address such a sensitive issue.
