Traders asked to demolish illegal structures on KKH

MANSEHRA: National Highway Authority (NHA) has issued notices to hundreds of traders and market owners to voluntarily demolish illegal structures on Karakoram Highway, otherwise such property would be demolished through an anti-encroachment campaign.

“We are going to launch an anti-encroachment campaign along the KKH from Shinkiari up to Chaterplan area and served encroachers with notices to ground their buildings on encroached land coming in right of way of the artery, otherwise those would be destroyed by January 22 through heavy machines,” Assistant Director NHA Saeedur Rehman told reporters in Shinkiari here on Wednesday.

“We will widen that strategic artery to a total of 44 feet as each side of the highway from its centre would be 22 feet wider to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and retrieve the NHA land encroached upon by the locals on both sides,” he said.

According to the assistant director, a team of NHA also consulted the relevant department before issuing the notices to the encroachers alongside KKH from Shinkiari to Chaterplan, a boundary area with the neighbouring Battagram district.

“The district administration, police, revenue and other departments would also be part of this operation, preparations for which are already finalised,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Bilal Shahid has strictly warned heads of the devolved departments to serve people wholeheartedly.

“I have personally been monitoring the performance of your departments but I want you to discharge your responsibilities honestly to address problems faced by the people and pass on relief to them through good governance,” he told a meeting attended by the assistant commissioners and heads of different public sector departments here.