ISLAMABAD, May 16 (INP): Over 200 acre of commercial and residential land of Pakistan Railways was under illegal occupation and possession of provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab.

Around 113.55 acres railways land were under unauthorized utilization of different government departments of Punjab and 87.017 acres under the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an official in the Ministry of Railways told on Thursday.

Giving details of the railways land in Punjab, he said 95.56 acres land were under unauthorized use of Revenue Department of Attock City, 9.99 acres by board of Revenue Mianwali, 3.81 acres by education Department Punjab for Construction of school Mianwali, 3.69 acres by Attock Tehsil Municipal Office and 0.5 acres by Highway Punjab Mianwali.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said 46 acres land was being used unauthorized by Bannu District Government, 22.

33 acres by Health Department of Nowshera, 11.509 acres by Traffic Police, Revenue Departments of Peshawar, 6.77 acres by Police Department of Hangu and Lakki Marwat and 0.048 by District Police Kohat.

He said special campaign for removal of encroachment had been launched in the divisions resulting 51.40 acres of railways land retrieved during the last three months.

He said division was actively carrying out campaign against the land mafia to retrieve valuable state land with the help of concerned district administration and as well as district railway police.

One major factor which makes hurdles in retrieval of railways land was stay order from the courts as presently about 185 land cases were under trial in different courts, which were also vigorously followed in the light of orders passed by the Supreme Court, he added.

INP/Obd/SB