Encroachments on sides of Budhni nullah demolished

PESHAWAR: Taking note of recent flood devastations in the provincial capital, the district administration on Wednesday launched action against encroachments and demolished most of the buildings built on both sides of the Budhni nullah.
Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Khan Mahsud had constituted a committee after Budhni nullah had overflowed and water entered nearby houses and inundated the area.He later visited the site and found that the flood had been caused due to encroachments on two sides of the nullah.
The district administration in the morning started operation that continued till night during which 24 houses, two mosques and a CNG station built near the Budhni nullah were demolished with the help of heavy machinery.
Spokesman for the district administration Feroz Shah said that 70 per cent of the encroachments were demolished. “The remaining encroachments would be demolished on Thursday,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner Riaz Mehsud, additional deputy commissioner Osama Waraich, Superintendent Engineer Mohammad Shabir and other officers of the district administration and Irrigation Department supervised the demolition operation.
Riaz Mehsud said that the entire process of demolition and removal of debris would be completed within two days. He said a proper protection wall would be built on two sides of the Budhni nullah to ensure protection of the nearby residential areas after completion of the demolition process.
The deputy commissioner said that estimated Rs780 million would be utilised on the restoration of the Budhni nullah to its original shape which included de-siltation. etc to avoid flood in future.
Under a plan approved on Tuesday, protection wall on both sides of the water course would be constructed besides widening its water-bed and expediting pace of work on two bridges being constructed on the nullah.
When reached by telephone, Riaz Mehsud said that the provincial government had completed demarcations in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014 about the encroached land of the irrigation department but nobody took practical action
He said that following demarcation, the government had issued notices to the residents for vacating the encroached property.The deputy commissioner said that had recent formed another committee for demarcation of the government property, which included officials of the irrigation and revenue departments and five persons of the local community.
During the demarcation process, the committee had identified up to 45 feet encroachment on the right bank and 30 feet on the left side of 24.56km long Budhni nullah. “Following the latest demarcation process we again issued notices to those who had encroached the government property and given them a deadline to vacate their encroachments before July 27,” Riaz Mahsud said
He said that Wapda had paid Rs0.388 million in 1982 as compensation to the people who built buildings on the government land, but even then they refused to remove their houses on the government property. “It’s very strange as Budhni nullah had been causing heavy floods in Peshawar for the last four decades but nobody took its notice,” Riaz Mahsud said.