KARACHI, Aug 28: The Lyari Town Administration, in its ongoing campaign against encroachments, on Thursday demolished hundreds of shops, hotels and godowns which were illegally constructed on a stormwater drain at the Town’s Niazi Chowk.

A heavy posse of Rangers and Town police was present at Niazi Chowk to cope with any untoward incident.

According to Lyari Town’s Nazim, Abdul Khaliq Juma, the demolition team during the last three days has hammered down a three-storey hotel and demolished hundreds of shops and transporters companies’ godowns as they had been illegally raised on a one-kilometre-long stormwater drain.

“Because of huge encroachments on the stormwater drain, health workers were unable to clean it, and as a result Lyari’s sewerage system almost collapsed, causing flooding of rainwater on various roads”, he added.

A spokesman for the Town said that the anti-encroachment drive, which was being supervised by Lyari Town’s Naib Nazim, Malik Mohammad Khan Awan and TMO Afaq Saeed, would continue till the removal of all encroachments from the stormwater drain.

The anti-encroachment drive has been undertaken jointly by the anti-encroachment department, the Karachi Building Control Authority and Lyari Town’s anti-encroachment, buildings and roads and sanitation departments. Officials of the KESC and Sui Gas remain present at the site of the operation and are cooperating in the process.

The Town Nazim has directed all the teams taking part in the anti-encroachment drive to submit to him detailed daily reports of all demolition works being undertaken.