J&K State properties: Senate panel seeks 5-year record of cash rent
ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Tuesday sought five years’ records of cash rent collected from Jammu and Kashmir State properties, raising questions over unaccounted revenue, past irregularities and widespread encroachment on state land.
The sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions, chaired by Senator Nasir Mehmood, directed officials to submit tenant, rent and deposit records, along with details of theft, misuse and unauthorised occupation of state property.
Officials told the panel that the department manages around 3,160 tenancies. Although rent collection is being digitised, many tenants are still being shifted from the manual system.
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Under the manual system, cash collections were recorded in cash books and deposited through treasury challans, while digital payments were credited directly into authorised accounts. Officials said manual receipts, collection statements, cash-book entries and deposit records were cross-checked, while the PayZen system automatically reconciled digital payments.
The committee, however, sought a five-year statement showing rent collected and its utilisation, tenant-wise details, deposit dates, outstanding dues and supporting receipts.
The demand followed questions from Senator Naseema Ehsan about reported theft, irregularities and misuse of state property. Officials conceded that irregularities had been reported in the past and disclosed that a case was pending with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The panel sought details of the case, including the amount recovered, and decided to summon NAB officials at its next meeting.
Encroachments on state land, particularly in Lahore and Rawalpindi, also came under scrutiny.
Officials said state land had been demarcated against revenue records and geo-referenced with the assistance of the Punjab Information Technology Board. Digital maps, including AksShajra, were also presented to the committee.
The department’s total Jammu and Kashmir State property was put at 34,616 kanals, equivalent to 4,327 acres. In Lahore’s Sultanpura and Rehmanpura areas alone, officials reported encroachments over about 318 acres, eight kanals and nine marlas.
Sultanpura accounts for 153 acres, two kanals and 13 marlas, while Rehmanpura has 165 acres, three kanals and 16 marlas under encroachment. The indicative rental value of the encroached land, based on fresh tenancy agreements, was estimated at Rs1.43 million to Rs2.86 million for residential use and Rs3.3 million to Rs4.95 million for commercial use.
The committee was also briefed on illegal construction, disputed tenancies, unauthorised occupation and questionable no-objection certificates (NOCs) issued for electricity connections. It directed officials to investigate alleged unauthorised NOCs.
The operation of marriage halls and other commercial ventures on state land further highlighted the scale of unauthorised use. The chairman ordered officials to seal an unauthorised marriage hall, provide photographic evidence and register an FIR if it was reopened.
Officials said action had been initiated in several cases involving unauthorised use or failure to pay appropriate rent, while some tenancy agreements had been cancelled.
Senator Nadeem Bhutto called for stronger co-ordination and sought the presence of senior officials, including the Punjab chief secretary, Lahore commissioner and relevant Federal Board of Revenue officials, at the next meeting.
The chairman also ordered a separate file containing all correspondence on Lahore encroachments and directed further field visits to verify official records on the ground.
The panel stressed transparent rent collection, complete documentation, physical verification of state assets and stronger enforcement to prevent further unauthorised occupation of Jammu and Kashmir State property.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026