Construction near Kunhar River banned

MANSEHRA: The Mansehra district administration on Monday imposed a ban on the construction of buildings around Kunhar River to do away with the effects caused by the weather changes in the Kaghan Valley.

The flash floods in recent years caused huge losses because of commercial and residential buildings built near the Kunhar River and downstream in the Balakot tehsil.“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through commissioner Hazara wants an immediate ban on construction of buildings in and around Kunhar River and strict action would be

initiated against contraveners,” an official order issued by the deputy commissioner read.

It said that the Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad Circuit Bench, in a verdict recently issued, had directed the KP government not to allow construction of buildings within and alongside the Kunhar River.

“ We have received the same order from the Hazara commissioner and have notified the public and issued it to the relevant public departments,” said the order.“I Khalid Iqbal, the DC of Mansehra, in exercise of power conferred upon me under section 144 of the CrPC, hereby imposed a ban on construction of buildings within a close range of 200 feet in Kunhar River,” the order as read.

It further stated that the ban on such construction of buildings was put in place under the KP River Protection Ordinance 2002 in the limits of the district and its tributaries.The order shall come into force with immediate effect and remain binding for two months. The flash floods in recent years caused huge financial losses as buildings, hotels and roads were washed away by the Kunhar River.