PESHAWAR, Sept 29: Residents of Asad Anwar Colony, Gulbahar, have urged the government to remove encroachments made by the owner of the Nasir Hospital in the area.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Friday, Mohammad Ashraf and 18 other residents alleged that Dr Nasiruddin Mohmand, owner of the hospital, had encroached upon a municipal land lying vacant between his house and the hospital building and made construction on it.

They said that in the middle of the street, Dr Mohmand had constructed a security post for the hospital.

The residents said that in connivance with the municipal staff, Dr Mohmand had built a façade at the street entrance, where he parked his vehicles. They said flower baskets had also been placed on both sides of the stairs. They said women and school-going girls were teased by attendants of patients sitting with hospital guards in the street.

They said that after protest by the residents, Dr Mohmand filed a civil suit against Mohammad Ashraf’s brother, Humayun Khan, on the ownership of the land.

They regretted that on the one hand, the City District Government had demolished over 70 years old facades in the name of anti-encroachment drive and on the other, it had ignored the illegally-built façade in their street.

They said they had filed applications against the encroachment in offices of nazims of Town-I and the district, but they had taken no action.