BAJAUR/DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Traders in various Bajaur bazaars on Monday began removing encroachments voluntarily after the district administration warned them of stern action if they did not remove structures built on public properties.
According to reports, traders of Nawagai, Inayat Kallay, Pashat, Sadiqabad and Shandi started dismantling structures marked as encroachments.
Sources said more than 70pc of structures that violated government standards for construction of shops along roads and on public property were demolished.
It was stated that the voluntary removal of encroachments was likely to be completed by the deadline set by the administration for Tuesday (today).
Meanwhile, the district administration said in a statement on Monday that the voluntary anti-encroachment drive was effectively underway.
The statement, issued from the deputy commissioner’s office, said traders had launched the drive voluntarily after officials visited bazaars two days ago, marked the encroachments and issued a stern warning.
The statement added that multiple teams of officials visited major bazaars on Monday and observed that about 80 per cent of encroachments had been removed by the evening.
Meanwhile, the Dera Ismail Khan district administration on Monday retrieved 103 kanals of state land near Kotli Imam Hussain from illegal occupants.
The land is owned by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and had allegedly been occupied and used for commercial activities, including construction material depots and a fodder market.
According to administration officials, the occupants had been using the state land for their personal and commercial interests.
The operation was carried out with the assistance of revenue officials, tehsil municipal administration personnel and police.
The administration also demolished illegal structures on state land opposite Kotli Imam Hussain, where a hostel for visitors is proposed to be constructed.
The district administration said it won’t allow the use of public property for private or commercial purposes.
It said that operations to retrieve state land from encroachers would continue.
Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2026
