ISLAMABAD: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), with the help of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), has retrieved over 6,096 acres of land worth Rs38.96 billion from encroachers and land grabbers in the nine months of the current fiscal year, starting from July.

ETPB Secretary Farid Iqbal told Dawn that the Rawalpindi office had gotten back 13 acres and five kanals worth Rs4.38 billion from July until January. In Hassanabdal, land measuring 32 acres and one kanal worth Rs301 million was retrieved until January, whereas an area measuring 18 acres, four kanals and 16 marlas worth Rs82 million was retrieved during February and March.

The Peshawar district office retrieved 14 marlas worth Rs138 million from July to January, whereas the Bannu district office recovered three marlas worth Rs23 million from July to January. Similarly, the ETPB office in Sahiwal recovered an area measuring 466 acres, six kanals and 17 marlas worth Rs1,336 million from July to January, whereas an area measuring 156 acres, three kanals and 12 marlas worth Rs319 million was recovered in Okara during February and March.

In Karachi, an area measuring 21 acres, seven kanals and 14 marlas worth Rs4,150 million was retrieved during February and March.

The ETPB also recovered outstanding dues of Rs889 million in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, whereas in February and March, Rs12 million was recovered. The total amount recovered so far by the ETPB from July till March is Rs901 million. The Lahore zonal office recovered Rs77 million from July to March, whereas the Nankana Sahib office recovered Rs229 million.

The recovery of outstanding dues by the zonal office in Gujranwala was Rs53 million from July until March whereas Rawalpindi office recovered Rs189 million from July till March. The Faisalabad zonal office recovered Rs24 million till March.

In Multan, the recovered amount is Rs175 million from July till March, whereas in Karachi, the ETPB recovered Rs141 million. In the federal capital, the ETPB office managed to recover the outstanding dues amounting to Rs12 million from July till March this year.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2024