LAHORE: As a result of action taken by the concerned administration on the orders of the Office of the Punjab Ombudsman to redress public complaints, a total of 437.7 kanal state land have been retrieved from squatters in Mianwali, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Sargodha, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Nankana Sahib and Sahiwal districts, having a total market value of over Rs419 million.
The spokesman of the agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.
He explained that 87.2 kanal of government land of Rs27.42 million has been recovered from occupants in the Mianwali district after five complainants approached the ombudsman office for the same.
The ombudsman’s office intervened in response to three different applications to retrieve a total of 96 kanals, worth Rs200 million, from illegal dwellers in Toba Tek Singh. A degree of Rs3.71 million has also been issued in favour of one Nasir Ahmad of Pirmahal with regard to crops produced after the involvement of the ombudsman office, the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, the spokesman pointed out that the involvement of the ombudsman office in response to different public complaints has resulted in the retrieval of 51.19 kanal government land valued at around Rs15.51 million in Jhang while the amount of tawaan, worth Rs3.1 million, has been charged and deposited in the government treasury against state land measuring 12,452.11 kanals in tehsil 18 Hazari on the direction of the ombudsman office, the spokesman cited.
The spokesman stated the field operations carried out on the orders of the ombudsman office resulted in the retrieval of 18 kanal graveyard lands, valuing around Rs100 million, in the Bhera and Bhalwal tehsils of Sargodha.
Similarly, 126.16 kanal state land of Rs34 million in Rajanpur, 34 kanal and 13 marla government land of Rs25 million in Sadiqabad tehsil of Rahim Yar Khan district, one kanal and eight marla government road, worth Rs9.8 million, in Shahkot area of Nankana Sahib district and a public thoroughfare, measuring 5.4 acres and having the market value of Rs7.4 million has been retrieved in Sahiwal.
The spokesman further reported that one Zahid Iqbal of Depalpur tehsil in Okara has been given possession of a five-marla plot, valued at over Rs1.8 million, on the intervention of the ombudsman office.
Similarly, the ombudsman office mediated to ensure the transfer of inherited property measuring 11.9 kanal of Rs3.7 million in favour of Naseer Ahmad of the Harbanpura area in Lahore.
The complainants have thanked the Office of the Ombudsman for the prompt actions taken in the public interest and protection of their legal rights.
