Anti-encroachment drive in Mansehra from today

MANSEHRA: The district administration is all set to launch an anti-encroachment drive at Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road and River Kunhar today (Saturday) in order to promote tourism in Kaghan valley.

“We are going to launch an anti-encroachment drive to pull down buildings on MNJ road and River Kunhar,” Deputy Commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan told reporters here on Friday.He said that a total of 144 encroachers, whose commercial and other sorts of buildings either coming in the right-of-way at MNJ road or high flow areas in the River Kunhar were served with the final notice last month and now the heavy machinery had also been moved in for the purpose.

“In the first phase of this drive, we will pull down buildings from Hissam Abad up to Kaghan and the rest of the snowbound valley from Kaghan to Babusar Top would be cleared of encroachments in the second phase,” Dr Qasim said.

The deputy commissioner said that as many as 83 buildings coming in the right-of-way on MNJ road and another 46 buildings intercepting the high flow level in the river have been marked for demolition during the first phase being initiated from today.

He said that most of the buildings which were intercepting river flow level were built at the bank (land), which was already acquired by the government for the Balakot hydropower project.