20,000 kanal land recovered in Islamabad

Islamabad:A total of 20,000 kanal of state land worth Rs500 billion has so far been recovered from land grabbers and encroachers during a grand operation in the capital city initiated at the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to the latest documents shared by the office of the Deputy Commissioner (Islamabad), the anti-encroachment grand operation is jointly being carried out by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration in almost all areas of Islamabad.

The areas from where the state land has been recovered included sectors E-11, E-12, I-14, I-15, I-16, Tarnol, Khanna Pul, Karal Chowk, Expressway, Bhara Kahu, Bahria Enclave, Mouza Sinyarai, Srinagar Highway, right of way of Korang River, Phulgran, Mohra Noor, Kot Hathiyal, Shahpur and Malata.

The CDA and ICT administration also demolished construction outside the home of former Senate chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari. During the operation in Tarnol, the civil administration removed encroachments from a five-kilometer strip around the railway interchange.

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the Ministry of Interior and Islamabad’s administration to take action against what he called a powerful land mafia that had deprived people of their holdings.

The data showed that many people moved the courts against operation due to which the administration was forced to halt it for some time. A commission was also constituted to verify the claims of people affected by the anti-encroachment operation that they possessed land ownership documents issued to them by the ICT administration.

Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad, Hamza Shafqaat said the anti-encroachment operation is under way to recover state land and it would continue unless they achieve their set targets.