ISLAMABAD: A major portion of state land worth billions of rupees at the length of a portion of Grand Trunk (GT) Road was under illegal occupation and the Prime Minister Office has directed officials concerned for its retrieval.

On the direction from the PM office, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), ICT administration and National Highway Authority (NHA) have swung into action. Currently, demarcation is being conducted by a joint team of these organisations.

So far, encroachments have been pointed out from Daewoo stop to the Tarnol railway junction, and the team has marked the state land. Sources said that in this portion of GT Road, around 50pc construction had taken place on the state land.

The demarcation is being conducted under the supervision of CDA Director Urban Planning Ijaz Ahmed Sheikh and Deputy Director National Highway Authority (NHA) Inamur Rehman.

CDA has 3550 kanals acquired land in the shape of 200 feet wide strip on either side of GT Road, a 16km area from EME College to Nicholson Monument, which it had been acquired in 1967. However, illegal constructions in the shape of restaurants, petrol pumps, workshops, shops, kiosks, building material, bus stands, junkyards etc., have been made on the land.

Last month, the encroachments on state land caught the attention of the PM office, which ordered its removal. Subsequently, the government departments swung into action and started the demarcation of the land.

CDA’s enforcement teams during the last two months had already conducted massive demolition operations along GT Road, focusing removal of temporary and recent encroachments. After the completion of ongoing demarcation process, a large scale operation will be launched, said the sources.

On August 2, a letter issued by the PM Office had stated: “It has been observed with concern that numerous unauthorized industrial and machinery yards have cropped up and encroached upon the Right of Way along N-5-GT Road, from Hasanabdal to Rawalpindi (Saddar).

It has, therefore, been desired that a Joint Team shall be constituted to remove these encroachments, relocate the industrial yards in a phased and systematic manner and clear the Right of Way. Secretary MoI&NC shall personally supervise the above exercise and shall coordinate with the Chief Secretary and I.G Police, Punjab on regular basis to complete this task in two months.”

The GT Road is property of NHA while acquired land at its length from EME College to Nicholson Monument (200 wide strip on both sides) is the property of CDA. However, CDA had failed to protect its land. “This is right time for not only retrieving land from land grabbers but also properly utilise it. CDA should properly fence its precious land and plan commercial and apartment project on it,” said an official source.

He said that CDA had also planned to set up two car bazaars in this area while apartment projects could also be launched to generate revenues.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025