LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has vowed to continue indiscriminate action against the land grabbers till every inch of the state land is recovered. Giving details during a presser at his office on Wednesday, he said 155,000 Acres have been retrieved in different parts of the province having a value of Rs 450 billion. It
is the largest operation in the history of the province and the task will be brought to its logical end, he said. During the last seven days, 12,318 Acres worth Rs 22.32 billion and 70 lakh have been recovered from illegal occupants in 31 districts. As many as 403 FIRs have been registered and 97 accused have been arrested, he added. Similarly, the CM pointed out that indiscriminate action is under way against sugar and price hike mafias. The PTI government is actively working to curb every sort of mafia and public interest is being fully protected under the leadership of PM Imran Khan. The land has been retrieved in Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi, Rajanpur, DG Khan, Multan, Narowal and other cities and the recovered state land will be utilized for public welfare purposes, he said.
The government will also recover damages from influential people involved in illegal occupation of state land, he continued and indicated that action is not person or party-specific but is indiscriminate that will continue. It is intolerable to occupy the state land for personal use and no political discrimination has been shown in this action, the CM stressed. Similarly, no one is politically-targeted. The government wants to protect the state land and the political affiliation of land grabbers is simply irrelevant, he said. The CM disclosed that a strategy has been devised to best use the recovered land while the data bank will be set up in the Board of Revenue and steps will be taken so that no one could dare reoccupy such land, he said.
Action against the land grabbers in 31 districts has yielded positive results during the last 7 days and the operation will continue till the complete recovery of state lands in the province, he said and added the PTI government has waged a war against every sort of mafia and the damages incurred to the state kitty due to land grabbers will be compensated.
Replying to media questions, the CM said the Anti-Corruption Establishment takes action if a government employee is found involved in the occupation of state land. Indiscriminate action will continue against all; whether it's my relative or an office-bearer of the party, the CM emphasized and added that the government is active against the land grabbers while setting aside politics. To a question, the CM clarified that no ban is imposed on private transport. However, a restriction is imposed on public transport to overcome the spread of coronavirus. Steps have been taken against corona and the government does not want to enforce a complete lockdown but the pandemic spread has to be overcome, he maintained. The businesses are not shut down but timings of bazaars and markets are reduced as the government wants the business to run while minimizing the spread of coronavirus. He clarified that the purpose of the government is not to put people behind the bars but to sensitize them to wear facemasks for collective safety.
To another question, the CM said the corona vaccine is being supplied by the federal government. The Punjab government has also constituted a committee to procure this vaccine and the committee will submit final recommendations. To a question, the CM asserted that corona SOPs will be implemented in Ramadan bazaars while a collective decision will be made in consultation with the NCOC about Namaz-e-Taraweeh. Replying to a question about a cabinet reshuffle, the CM said the space for improvement is always there and the ministers’ performance is regularly reviewed. He made it clear that the rumours about the South Punjab Secretariat are totally baseless, adding that opponents are spreading disinformation in this regard. A meeting about the South Punjab Secretariat is scheduled today, he replied. “I don’t know who is perturbed over my field visits, but I do know that a new era of development has been started,” he said and added a separate district development package is being outlined for the first time and development schemes are being designed in consultation with public representatives. This development package will be part of the next budget and the due share of districts will be given to them without caring for any likeness or antipathy.
He emphasized that no area will remain deprived of development as every district will be given its due share. Some naive friends falsely claimed that Punjab is in the reverse gear because they could not witness the development process around them. State land worth Rs 450 billion has been recovered while work on 13 special economic zones is in progress, he said. Similarly, 12 new hospitals are being established after 1997 and a plan has also been devised to establish a university in every district. People are also given a Ramadan package worth Rs 7 billion along with the establishment of 313 Sahulat bazaars, concluded the CM.
SACM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the IG Police, the Information secretary and the DGPR were present.