ABBOTTABAD, Sept 13: The Cantonment Board, Abbottabad has decided to beautify the areas under its administrative control.

Cantonment Executive Officer, Abbottabad, Rana Kashif told reporters here the other day that places in the cantonment areas had been identified for beautification under the ‘Green Plan’.

He said the Green Plan would be executed soon after the anti-encroachment campaign was over.

“We want to give a face-lift to the cantonment areas by planting saplings and flowers and installing swings for children,” he said.

The cantonment executive officer said once the main Mansehra Road was freed from encroachments, a crackdown would be launched on the people illegally occupying nullahs and the government land in inner parts of towns.

He, however, regretted that the local community was not playing due role in the anti-encroachment and cleanliness campaign and thus, blocking the achievement of desired results.

Mr Kashif said in most areas, telephone lines and water and gas pipes were to blame for chocked drains as they passed through drains and blocked the flow of sewage.

He said the board had repeatedly requested the relevant authorities to take corrective measures, but to no avail.

When asked about revival of local body system in the cantonment areas, he said the success of the system depended on who were elected by the people.

The cantonment executive officer said the people should vote for dedicated and sincere members of the society for own welfare.

About the grabbing of the government land in the cantonment areas, he expressed helplessness and said the revenue department had shown land of old nullahs as the people’s property but the board’s requests to the department for correcting the record had fallen on deaf ears.

Mr Kashif urged the civil society organisations to help the board step up efforts to beautify the city and free it from pollution.

He said the cantonment areas would be supplied clean drinking water from the ‘Gravity Flow Water Scheme’, a Pakistan-Japan clean drinking water project for Abbottabad city.