ATTOCK, Dec 14: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) resumed its anti-encroachment campaign with the assistance of the police and district administration on Sunday as the deadline given to encroachers ended.

The anti-encroachment team, headed by District Officer Revenue (DOR) Attock Ikramullah Khan Niazi, removed encroachments from shops, hotels, clinics, banks and markets on Bank Road, Pleader Line and Imambargah Road.

Earlier the drive was suspended on December 4 reportedly on the interference of PML-N MNA from Attock Sheikh Aftab Ahmed due to public protest.

A joint meeting of political figures, traders and officials of the district government was held on December 5 under the chairmanship of the DOR to finalise modalities of the anti-encroachment operation, which was also attended by TMO Attock, the tehsil officer regulation, tehsil officer planning, traders and political representatives of PML-N and PPP.

The meeting unanimously decided to resume the anti-encroachment operation as it was launched on the directives of the Punjab government.

The TMA officials identified the encroachments after studying the city’s layout plan and directed the encroachers to demolish the illegal structures voluntarily by the end of Eid holidays.

The meeting also agreed that the issue of encroachments concerning mosques, Imambargahs and other religious places would be decided later with the consent of their caretakers, organisers and religious figures to avoid any confrontation.After approval of this procedure by all stakeholders, the operation was suspended till the set deadline so that encroachers could remove the encroachments voluntarily and avoid hindrance to the pubic during Eid shopping.

However, the encroachers failed to meet the deadline as a result of which the anti-encroachment operation was resumed on Sunday morning.