Buildings on red zone in Balakot to be demolished

MANSEHRA: The Tehsil Municipal administration is going to demolish buildings and structures built in red zone areas of Balakot in violation of the ban. “We have already served three notices on all those who reconstructed concrete buildings and structures in red zone areas despite the ban imposed by the government in red zone areas following the devastating earthquake in 2005,” Arif Baloch, the tehsil municipal officer, told reporters on Friday. He said that the government had imposed a ban on reconstruction of concrete buildings and structures in urban parts of Balakot following the earthquake some almost 16 years ago. “These concrete buildings are a risk for the residents as an international team of geologists and seismologists declared that urban parts of Balakot to be at the active volcanic fault lines and, therefore, there should not be concrete construction,” said Baloch. The officer said that an anti-encroachment drive was also being launched on the rest of Balakot tehsil where buildings and structures coming in the way of the roads in Bisianm Shawal and Garhi Habibullah would be demolished.