MANSEHRA/Dera Ismail Khan: The Mansehra district administration on Saturday pulled down over 100 hotels, houses and other structures during a pre-dawn anti-encroachment drive in Kaghan valley under the tourism promotion initiative.

“This coordinated anti-encroachment drive launched on the orders of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has achieved its first day’s targets as we have pulled down almost all illegal buildings coming in the way of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road,” deputy commissioner Qasim Ali Khan told a press conference at his office here.

He said that over 200 police personnel were deputed and almost all civic departments were part of the pre-dawn operation, which was initiated at four places from Kuwai to Kaghan.

“Our strategy remained successful as nobody could put up resistance and buildings already marked were grounded through heavy machinery,” he said.

He said that they would now demolish illegal buildings and structures at Kunhar River. He said that the second phase of the operation would be initiated to pull down the buildings from snowbound Kaghan to Babusar top.

“We have zero tolerance for encroachments in the district, but particularly in Kaghan valley which is a tourist hub,” the deputy commissioner said.

In Dera Ismail Khan, an operation was carried out against encroachments in Paharpur tehsil where scores of shops were demolished and state land recovered.

Assistant commissioner, Paharpur, Rao Hashim said here on Saturday that the land had been under illegal occupation for 30 years. He said that the cleanup operation was carried out in Saiduwali, Tirgarh and Kotla Lodhiyan areas of Paharpur tehsil to remove encroachments on the irrigation department’s land.

He said that the administration demolished over 50 shops and houses and got possession of agricultural land worth billions of rupees. He said that the operation would continue till removal of all encroachments.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2021