GUJRAT: The Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA) on Saturday removed all the service centre officials (SCOs) in all Arazi Record Centres (ARCs) in the Gujrat district after public complaints as the local administration too recommended their removal.

However, none of the senior staff of these ARCs, including assistant director land record (ADLR), land record officer (LRO), service centre incharge (SCI) and additional service centre officials, were transferred from their current positions.

In a notification issued by the PLRA director (human resource), at least 30 SCOs serving at three ARCs including Gujrat, Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir as well as the Qanoongo Arazi Record Centre (QARC) Dinga and Jalalpur Jattan, have been transferred with immediate effect.

The senior management of PLRA had taken notice of a news item published in a section of the media about the serious public allegations of corruption and exploitation at Gujrat ARC by the staff.

Senior staff survive the spate of transfers

Official sources said an online meeting was held to discuss the complaints issue which was also attended by the PLRA director general, Gujrat deputy commissioner and senior officials of land revenue department.

Sources said the local administration had recommended to the PLRA DG for the removal of SCOs and other staff that had been serving at the same ARC for more than three years and also involved in the malpractices by delaying the mutations in the computerised record particularly in the urban revenue circles.

The local authorities and PLRA hierarchy after probing the issue for at least 20 days, transferred the SCOs.

However out of 30 SCOs, 28 have been posted in the different ARCs of Gujrat whereas two were posted in Kotli Satian ARC of Murree and Pasrur Teshil ARC of Sialkot districts.

All the nine SCOs of Gujrat ARC were transferred to Sara-i-Alamgir and other cities whereas all seven SCOs of Kharian ARC were posted in Gujrat ARC.

These ARCs staff have been assigned the task of accelerating the process of entering mutations into the official record.

Official sources said the PLRA did not transfer the senior officials of Gujrat ARC as SCOs were transferred whereas the assistant commissioners (ACs) of all tehsils had also increased their inspection visits to the respective centres across the district.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2025