ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (DNA):Pakistan Railways retrieved 363.907 acres of encroached land in Karachi Division over four financial years from 2022-23 to 2025-26, including 305.803 acres of agricultural, 29.844 acres of residential and 28.319 acres of commercial land, through anti-encroachment operations, while another 951.28 acres of railway property remain under private occupation, according to official documents.
The documents of the Ministry of Railways, available with Wealth Pakistan, show that the department recorded its highest annual recovery in FY2024-25, when it reclaimed 293.6 acres, including 285.31 acres of agricultural, 7.458 acres of commercial and 0.832 acres of residential land.
In FY2023-24, the department recovered 38.93 acres, followed by 23.148 acres in FY2025-26 and 8.229 acres in FY2022-23.
The documents further reveal that Pakistan Railways removed encroachments from 8.992 acres in Karachi Division between July and October 2026, comprising 6.49 acres of agricultural, 1.986 acres of commercial and 0.516 acres of residential land.
The recovered property during the four months was valued at approximately Rs 305.68 million on the basis of Deputy Commissioner valuation rates.
September accounted for the largest share of the recovery by value, with 1.52 acres of commercial and 1.99 acres of agricultural land retrieved, estimated at Rs 217.59 million.
In October, the department recovered 0.366 acres of commercial, 0.176 acres of residential and 4.5 acres of agricultural land, valued at approximately Rs84.96 million.
The July operation resulted in the recovery of 0.1 acres of commercial and 0.2 acres of residential land, while 0.14 acres of residential property were retrieved in August.
Despite these recoveries, private individuals continue to occupy 951.28 acres of Pakistan Railways land in Karachi Division, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the department.
Residential encroachments account for the largest share, covering 794.5 acres, followed by commercial occupation of 123.28 acres. Another 33.5 acres are occupied by other structures, including mosques and graveyards.
The category-wise breakdown records no agricultural land under encroachment.
A section-wise assessment identifies Kiamari-Kotri as the most affected railway corridor, with 409.28 acres under encroachment, followed by Kotri-Tando Adam with 246 acres and Hyderabad-Badin with 108.9 acres.
Other affected sections include Kotri-Dadu with 57 acres, Karachi Circular Railway with 53 acres, Mirpur Khas-Khokhar Par with 30 acres, Mirpur Khas-Nawab Shah with 18 acres, Pithoro-Jhudo-Jamrao with 17 acres and Hyderabad-Mirpur Khas with 12 acres.
To intensify its efforts, Pakistan Railways has drawn up a schedule of anti-encroachment operations across Karachi Division for November 2026.
According to the documents, the planned operations will target unauthorised occupation of railway residential quarters, commercial encroachments in station yards and railway premises, and other forms of illegal occupation.
The programme covers several locations, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Kotri, Tando Adam, Sehwan and Dadu, among other areas falling within Karachi Division.
The latest recovery figures indicate continued efforts by Pakistan Railways to reclaim its valuable property, although the 951.28 acres still under occupation underscore the need for sustained enforcement to protect railway land from further encroachment.
