MANSEHRA: Traders have begun demolishing unmovable encroachments from Shinkiari Road, a highly congested area in the city, after receiving notices from the district administration.

“We are voluntarily pulling down encroachments even multi-storey buildings. At the same time, we want the administration to execute the ongoing anti- encroachment campaign across the board,” trader leader Khurram Qadir told reporters on Monday.

The district administration had served notices on traders to demolish their shops or commercial centres located in the right of way.

Khurram Qadir said the voluntary demolition of encroachments was underway in the area from Markazi Chowk to Nari Masjid.

Qadir said deputy commissioner Mansehra Amer Khattak held talks with traders and sought their support in removal of encroachments.

“We extended all kinds of cooperation to the district administration and started demolishing shops and trade centres but now the administration should immediately put up steel grills on sewers and blacktop vacated portion of roads,” he said.

The district administration had planned anti-encroachment campaign on Shinkiari Road to ensure flow of traffic. Trader Mohammad Bilal said it was a good sign that the government had begun anti-encroachment drive but it should be spread to other roads in the city and its suburbs too. He said both traders and road users were badly affected by encroachments and that the crackdown on them would ease traffic jam.

Bilal said traders in other areas should follow suit and remove encroachments themselves.

He said the tehsil municipal administration should provide better civic services to the people, including traders.

POWER OUTAGES: The frequent power cuts have stressed out the people in Mansehra.

The Peshawar Electricity Supply Company had suspended electricity from early morning to late evening on Sunday and Monday and thus, causing water shortage at homes and commercial centres.

Syed Jabran Shah said power outages during the last two days brought the life to a standstill in Mansehra.

He said the situation had caused heavy losses to traders.

Mohammad Waqar said he paid Rs10 for a document’s photocopy due to power outage.

He said the government instead of addressing the people’s problems was increasing them.

Published in Dawn, October 13th , 2015

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