Construction along river bank: 100 owners served with notices in Kaghan valley

MANSEHRA: The Tehsil Municipal Administration, Balakot, has served notices on over 100 owners for building houses and commercial centres along the Kunhar River.

“We have served notices on such people who have built or are still building houses and shops along Kunhar River in its 200-feet area,” Sardar Saqib, the tehsil municipal officer,

told reporters in Balakot on Sunday.

He said that the Peshawar High Court had imposed a ban on all sorts of constructions along with rivers and streams and in pursuance of that order his department had served notices on such owners, asking them demolish houses and commercial properties, otherwise, the law would take its course.

“This decision of imposing a ban on the fresh construction alongside rivers and streams is also taken by the provincial government since the recent flash floods triggered huge devastation in the province,” Saqib said.

He added that the operation would be started from Bararkot, a boundary area with Muzaffarabad (AJK) and would continue till Babusar Top.

“The recent flash floods had washed away hotels and commercial buildings in Balakot tehsil as in other parts of the province and encroachers should realise it and voluntarily demolish the structures built along the Kunhar River,” he added.

Meanwhile, the district administration has destroyed the National Highway Authority’s toll tax plaza in the Hasamabad area of Balakot.

A team of tehsil administration, Balakot, led by Assistant Commissioner Basharat Bibi grounded the toll tax plaza with shovel machines. The assistant commissioner didn’t respond when contracted on her phone about the development.