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ISLAMABAD, June 10: The federal government has decided on a new formula for distribution of revenue generated from the sale of railway estate, federal minister for railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Saturday.
Talking to this reporter, he said it has been decided that 60 per cent of the revenue generated from the sale of the railway land would go to the railways itself and the remaining would be given to the province in which the property is located. The railways, he added, would use the money for its development projects.
Meanwhile, the federal minister in a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi discussed a proposal for the grant of ownership rights to the dwellers of katchi abadis on the railway land.
Although the minister insisted that the proposal was only discussed, a handout issued by the Punjab public relations department about the meeting claimed that residents of katchi abadis on the railway land would be given proprietary rights.
The chief minister was quoted as having said that the details about the award of proprietary rights would be decided at a meeting later on.
Mr Elahi said 42 katchi abadis on the PR land in Punjab would benefit from the plan. The Punjab government has already given ownership rights to 741 out of 825 settlements in the province.
The process of regularisation of the remaining settlements is being pursued.
APP adds: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said the government will soon release funds for the timely completion of development projects in Rawalpindi.
The chief minister gave this assurance at a meeting with Federal Minister for Railways Shaikh Rashid Ahmed at the Punjab House on Saturday.
The CM lauded the steps taken by the minister for the betterment of the railways and its employees.
The minister apprised Mr Elahi of new projects being launched for the railways.
BAR ASSOCIATION: Talking to a delegation of the Islamabad Bar Association headed by its President Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf Gujjar, the chief minister said lawyers had always played a commendable role in ensuring access to justice and promotion of democratic values.
The government is following a comprehensive policy for provision of all possible facilities to the lawyers community for discharging its professional responsibilities, he added.
He said the government had solved the problems of lawyers on a priority basis and annual grant was being provided to their associations from the high court bar to tehsil bar levels.
He said in addition to provision of medical facilities to lawyers and their families, setting up of lawyers housing colonies in Sahiwal and Bahawalpur, much progress had been made towards granting them the power of verification of documents.
He said a meeting of a delegation of the bar association would be arranged with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Law Minister Zafar Warraich and practical efforts would be made for resolving their problems concerning the federal government.
He appreciated the positive role and constructive activities of the lawyer associations for safeguarding national interests. He said keeping in view the significance of lawyer associations, the government had made sincere efforts to resolve their grievances.
Mr Elahi assured the delegation that prompt action would be taken on the matters brought to his notice by the bar.
Mr Gujjar said facilities provided by the government to the lawyers were unprecedented. He also informed the chief minister about the setting up of lawyers’ chambers in the new court complex in Islamabad, establishment of a federal high court, increase in the number of civil judges and additional district and sessions judges in Islamabad and setting up of a lawyers’ town in Rawalpindi.
