Pakistan Railways has retrieved 2,826 acres of encroached land valued at Rs 21.178 billion during the last six financial years, from 2020-21 to 2025-26, as part of a comprehensive anti-encroachment campaign across the railway network.
Railways retrieve 2,826 acres of encroached land worth Rs 21.178 bln
ISLAMABAD, Sep 08 (APP):Pakistan Railways has retrieved 2,826 acres of encroached land valued at Rs 21.178 billion during the last six financial years, from 2020-21 to 2025-26, as part of a comprehensive anti-encroachment campaign across the railway network.
“Pakistan Railways owns a total of 168,858 acres of land, of which more than 70 per cent is being used for operational purposes,” an official in the Ministry told APP.
He said around 9.1 per cent of railway land has been leased out, while 4.97 per cent remains under illegal occupation by private individuals. Another 2.36 per cent is under forcible possession of government departments.
To maximize revenue from its land assets, he said Pakistan Railways has implemented the Property and Land Rules 2023, allowing railway land to be leased through competitive and non-competitive bidding processes.
He said railway land is leased under three categories: short-term, medium- and long-term, and non-competitive leasing. “Short-term leases are awarded through open auctions for commercial and agricultural purposes, while prime commercial land is offered for medium- and long-term development projects through the Property and Land Directorate and REDAMCO,” he added.
The official said that non-competitive leases are granted to government departments for public welfare and essential infrastructure projects, including roads, schools, healthcare facilities, pipelines and optical fiber networks.
Since the implementation of the new rules, he said the department has generated Rs23.017 billion through short-term land leasing during the past three years.
He said the department has also intensified efforts to recover illegally occupied land in collaboration with provincial governments.
The official said the Provincial chief secretaries and inspectors general of police have been requested to provide law-enforcement support during anti-encroachment operations.
“The quarterly anti-encroachment plans have been prepared, while legal notices under the Possession Ordinance 1965 are being issued to encroachers, giving them 14 days to vacate illegally occupied land,” he added.
He said Pakistan Railways has also digitised and geo-referenced its land records through the Pakistan Railways Land Management and Information System (PRLMIS), which has been integrated with provincial databases and is accessible through a mobile application for real-time monitoring.
Meanwhile, he said the unauthorized occupation of railway land by government departments is being regularized through leases under the railway land policy, while commercial encroachments are being reviewed under a remedial policy involving lease agreements, upfront premiums and recovery of arrears.
He said illegal occupation and encroachment are dealt with strictly under relevant laws and regulations, with regular operations being conducted to prevent fresh encroachments.
