HARIPUR, Jan 30: As many as 70 houses, illegally constructed on railway land alongside the track, were demolished by railway authorities, in village Kholian Kalawan, some 5km from here on Wednesday.

More notices on a number of other encroachers, warning them of similar action, have also been served.

Meanwhile, some of them have managed to obtain stay order from the court of the senior civil judge, Haripur. until Feb 6.

The operation was launched following strict orders from the federal minister for communication pertaining to clearing the railway land from illegal occupants countrywide. The railway staff and bulldozers reportedly carried out anti-encroachment operation.

Of all the razed constructions only 10 per cent were kutcha houses mostly belonging to Afghan refugees.

The encroachment on the railway land for agriculture purpose as well as homes in connivance with the railway patwaris and the police, has been a common practice on thousands of acres in district Haripur.

When the present government came into power notice were served on all the illegal occupants of railway land throughout the country asking them to either vacate the land or get it leased.

Although a number of encroachers opted to get their respective land leased, a majority of them continued to occupy the land.

“We have time and again asked them either to vacate the railways land or get it leased, said a railway officials justifying Wednesday action.

The land department of divisional superintendent railway Rawalpindi had been issuing notices to all the encroachers every three months.

“This is injustice on the part of the railway authorities said a victim of the operation adding that they had long been paying to certain railway officials and the police for letting them build their homes.

The people said some illegal constructions near Sera-i-Saleh and Haripur railway stations, were still not demolished by the railways.

The local circles have called upon the federal minister for railways and divisional superintendent for launching a similar action in the remaining areas of the district Haripur up to Havelian.