CHAKWAL: After Talagang, the authorities have made up their mind to launch an anti-encroachment operation to vacate more than 2,000 kanals of land and raze scores of buildings and markets illegally built in the Chakwal city and its surroundings.

The public land is under the occupation of land mafia in the localities of Anwarabad, Pinwal Road, Millat Chowk, Jhangir Town, Sammanabad and Shahinabad.

The residents have been asking for a grand anti-encroachment operation for many years because the encroachments at Bhoun Road, Hospital Road, Chhapar Bazaar and in other areas of the city are causing difficulties for them. Traffic remains clogged at Bhoun Road while due to the encroachments citizens face hardship while passing through Chappar Bazaar and Hospital Road. Legal hitches are feared to hamper the operation at Bhoun Road.

On the other hand, many owners of markets located at the congested Bhoun Road have moved courts seeking stay orders against the intended anti-encroachment drive. Hearing a complaint filed by Asim Aleem Hashmi, a civil court issued a stay order on Friday against the intended operation and directed the authorities concerned to come up with the record on February 11.

As a result, the operation at Bhoun Road has been postponed. After the issuance of the stay order, Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) Azmat Qadeer Goraya got registered a case against Asif Aleem Hashmi, accusing him of making alterations in his market without the consent of the authorities.

Officials of the district administration told Dawn that almost 90pc homework for the operation had been completed.

“The measurements have been completed almost 90pc at Bhoun Road,” Assistant Commissioner Mossawar Ahmed Khan Niazi told Dawn. He said the operation would be launched across the board.

“We are trying to remove the encroachments amicably and trying to convince the owners of markets to remove the encroachments,” he added.

“From Bhoun Chowk to Government Girls High School No 1, the width of the road is 38 feet as the highway department did not acquire the land located across this patch and the road was made on the existing rough way. But from the school to Islamia Chowk, the width of the road is more than 100 feet and this patch is infested with encroachments,” he added.

After the issuance of the stay order, the authorities who were set to start the operation from Bhoun Road are now planning to start the drive in other areas of the city. On Saturday, a plot of two kanal occupied recently by an influential person was retrieved. “The occupier had built a boundary wall on the public land worth Rs50 million,” the AC said.

He added that 400 kanals of public land located in the city was under the occupation of the land mafia which would be retrieved.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer Mehmood Javed Bhatti said no one would be spared as the operation would be launched across the board. “We are consulting legal experts and are hopeful that the stay on the Bhoun Road operation would be vacated soon,” he added.

Talking to Dawn, former district nazim Sardar Ghulam Abbas said he would support the operation against encroachments but it should be transparent and across the board.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2016