LAHORE, Nov 13: The City District Government squads on Saturday demolished encroachments on 600 kanals of the proposed journalists' colony site at Harbanspura after a five hours' operation.

The CDG squads, led by cantonment Deputy District Officer (revenue) Usman Anwar and the SP, cordoned of the entire area early in the morning and demolished all the unauthorized buildings, including the houses of civil and police officers. The entire operation was completed without any resistance.

District Officer (architecture) Muhammad Taloot injured in an attack by the unauthorized occupants of the land in a similar operation last Saturday is still lying in coma at the Lahore General Hospital.

Presiding over a meeting held to consider the progress of work on the development of the colony, DCO Khalid Sultan said the entire 1,230-kanal area selected for the purpose was now clear for starting the development work. The site plan of the colony was also presented at the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Punjab information and culture secretary Taimoor Azmat Usman, EDO (revenue) Mian Ijaz, Lahore Press Club president Arshad Ansari and office-bearers and the LDA chief architect and the chief engineer.