LAHORE: Project to include two more districts - Computerized land record
By Our Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 25: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has ordered that computerization of land revenue record in Lahore be accelerated and the pilot project extended to Gujrat and Rahimyar Khan.
He gave these directions while approving a summary regarding computerization of land revenue record here on Thursday. The chief minister approved an additional Rs12.804 million for computerization of land revenue record in the Lahore city tehsil.
According to the summary, revenue record of 37,000 acres in 37 villages of the city tehsil had so far been computerized, and the revenue department would soon start issuing computerized copies of it to owners of the land. The record of urban property of Lahore would also be computerized at a cost of seven million rupees.
A committee, headed by the Lahore Nazim and also including the Nazims of Khanewal and Attock, had recommended extension of the programme to other districts in the province.
It had also recommended that a single software should be used for computerizing record of all districts to enable the revenue department to collect all record at the provincial level.
The job of installing the software and data entry programme should also be assigned to one organization in order to avoid confusion regarding division of responsibilities.
The summary said that revenue record would be computerized under the auspices of information technology department in three years. People having computer skills would be preferred for recruitment as patwaris, gardawars and kanoongos. The existing patwaris and other revenue staff would also be given computer training.
Meanwhile, addressing a public meeting in Bhakkar, the chief minister announced a one-billion-rupee project for renovation and extension of Thal Canal. Work on the project would begin in July.
He claimed that remodelling of Thal Canal would make available an additional 2,500 cusecs of water, which would help irrigate hundreds of thousands of acres. The project would go a long way in mitigating problems of growers in Muzaffargarh, Khushab, Layyah, Mianwali and Bhakkar districts regarding paucity of irrigation water, he added.
The chief minister also announced abolition of fee for primary examinations in government schools all over the province. He said he was grateful to people of the area for electing Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as MNA with a lead of 85,000 votes. He said that landless peasants of Bhakkar would be provided 12.5 acres each in addition to provision of fertilizers, seed and irrigation water free of cost for up to three years.
However, the new owners would not be able to sell their land for a period of 10 years. Land had been identified by the department of forests and irrigation for the purpose.
Five marlas would also be provided to every poor villager free of cost to enable him to build a house of his own. He said the concerned authorities had been directed to complete a survey of damages caused to farmers in barani areas due to paucity of rains, and arrangements were being made to provide relief to these farmers.
