LAKKI MARWAT, Feb 20: Pakistan Railways authorities with the assistance of local administration and police launched operation in Lakki city on Monday to raze illegal structures and remove encroachments from railway land.

However, shopkeepers started shifting their goods and material as soon as they saw excavator machine. Earlier, the elders and occupants had announced that they would launch a protest if railway officials tried to demolish their shops and houses built on the railway land.

But there were no signs of protest on Monday as several illegal occupants were seen razing their shops and business outlets on their own. In the second phase illegally built houses and residential structures will be removed.

Area elders said the demolition of shops by PR authorities would have negative impact on business activities of the town. Besides, the move will deprive hundreds of people of livelihood opportunities," they said.

They said that though the shops and markets were built on railway land by influential people but mostly poor were running their small businesses in them.

They maintained that the officials of Pakistan Railways had been requested to provide land to the occupants either on lease or rent but they turned deaf ears and preferred to launch the demolition operation.