LAHORE - The convenor of National Assembly Standing Sub-committee on Railways Land and Property Ramesh Lal has said that PML-N supporters had snatched an accused from police custody and tortured police officers to stop them from recovering railways property from grabbers.
While talking to the media after a meeting of the committee, he said that PML-N and its supporters were a hurdle in the eviction of Railways grabbed land, adding that the PR administration had complained to the committee about the said allegations.  Condemning the intervention in the land recovery move, he said that the names of all political personalities involved in pressurising the PR administration would be presented in the assembly for further action. He added that the committee had directed the PR administration to take stern action against officers involved in land grabbing.
Ramesh Lal informed the media that 521 acres out of total 2400 acres land worth of Rs 2 billion in Lahore and Mughalpura division had been recovered so far and alleged that the provincial police was not cooperating.
To a question about the commercialisation of 141 thousand acres of surplus land, PR Additional General Manager Anjum Pervaiz told the media that the provinces had not agreed on the issue of land ownership, and the matter remained disputed.
He said that a the railways had reached an understanding with Punjab and Sindh about land utilisation but no agreement could be finalised until the consensus of other provinces and ultimately the matter would be decided in the Council of Common Interest.  Members of NA Sub-Committee Dr Talat Mahesar, Dr Ayub Sheikh, Rahela Bloch, Roomana Gul Kakar and Pir M Aslam Bodla were also present on the occasion.