KARACHI: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Railways was informed on Wednesday that 954 acres of Pakistan Railways’ land in Karachi division was under private occupation.

Day two of the meeting of the standing committee started from the committee room of the office of the divisional superintendent at the City Railway Station then move to Karachi Port Trust in Keamari to observe the loading and unloading of freight trains followed by a visit to the Cantonment Railway Station.

The meeting, chaired by MNA Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan, was briefed about the encroachment situation in Karachi Division. It was said that the PR controlled 19,594 acres in Karachi division, of which 954 acres was occupied by private individuals. The committee was informed that about 340 acres had been reclaimed in the last three years.

Later, Divisional Superintendent (DS) Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho said that the biggest problem in removing the encroachments was the transfer of railways land from the provincial government to PR.

The committee recommended that all chief secretaries be given a month’s time to transfer railways land to PR, otherwise they will be summoned in the next meeting. Later, the committee visited KPT in Keamari where it appreciated the loading and unloading of freight trains along with the system set up for this purpose.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2025