LAHORE: The commissioner has issued data on the retrieved state land from grabbers in the ongoing operation.

Commissioner Dr Muhammad Mujtaba Paracha told a meeting on Thursday 42,080 kanals worth Rs30 billion were retrieved in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Nankana Sahib districts.

“During the campaign, 17,069 temporary and 18,443 permanent encroached structures were removed in the Lahore division,” he said at the meeting. Up to 82 first information reports were registered and 9,657 warning notices issued.

He said teams were focusing on commercial and industrial consumers of electricity and gas. The domestic consumers involved in power theft would also be taken to task soon. So far, 69 people were arrested for stealing electricity in Sheikhupura district. Teams raided 157 places and filed 38 references against power thieves. Also, teams charged the power thieves with detection units worth over 6.8 million. He directed deputy commissioners to intensify the operations against those causing pollution and smog anywhere in the division.

Also, the city district administration carried out various operations against the land grabbers. According to a spokesman, teams retrieved 164 kanals. Of them, 145 kanals were taken back at Mauza Dhala Kola, LDA land in Tajpura scheme, 18 kanals at Mauza Dallu Kalan, and 28 marlas at Miani Saheb.

A team consisting of officials of the city admin and power and gas departments raided two plastic strips manufacturing factories in the Shalamar area and detected power theft from the 11kV lines. The team got owner of factories Asif Gujjar arrested.

CUSTOMS: Following Supreme Court’s directions, Customs authorities launched a massive crackdown against illegal DTH equipment/dish satellite receivers in Punjab and seized a huge quantity of smuggled DTH equipment.

The seized goods included 1,958 DTH equipment and ancillary items of assorted brands worth Rs17 million. “Cases have also been registered against smugglers and further investigations are underway,” said a spokesman for the Customs Department.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2018