RAWALPINDI, Sept 22: A joint team of Pakistan Railways and the armed forces will soon begin the demarcation of 47.69 acres land in Rawalpindi division which is claimed by the railways but is in the custody of the military.

This was announced in a meeting of Pakistan Railways officials chaired by Divisional Superintendent Syed Munawar Shah, held to review the arrangements to resume the anti-encroachment drive in the railway division from Rawalpindi to Sargodha.

The meeting revealed that the railway land near Airport Road along the main railway track from Chaklala to Rawalpindi railway station, measuring 36.91 acres, was under the occupation of the joint services headquarter.

“The Pakistan Air Force has encroached on the railway land by establishing an air logistic centre and fencing off 16.23 acres land along the Airport Road. Adjacent to this, the Military Engineering Services (MES) has occupied 20.68 acres by constructing a boundary wall,” the land branch officials told the meeting.

The military authorities, after checking the records, informed Pakistan Railways last month that a joint team, in the presence of revenue authorities, would soon begin the demarcation of the land.

Furthermore, the officials informed the meeting that the army’s housing directorate had established a housing scheme on eight acres of railway land adjacent to the Murree Brewery. “The issue had been taken up with military authorities and it was decided that theywould swap this land with Mughalpura Dry Port, Lahore, which is currently being utilised by Pakistan Railways.”

The railway headquarters agreed to this and its Rawalpindi division was asked to send a swapping plan within a week, they said.

The officials reported that the railway authorities had not removed the katchi abadis built on 18.090 acres of land, including Abdul Rehman Colony Quaidabad (22 units on 6.1 kanals), Ziaul Haq Colony (437 units on 88 kanals), Wagon Colony (109 units on 38 kanals) and Kalyamabad.