QUETTA, Oct 22: The government has decided to demolish accommodations and colonies near the provincial secretariat after declaring them to be ‘security risk’ areas.

A notice served by the Civil Estate Officer of the Services and General Administration (S&GAD) advised people living in the Superintendent Colony and bungalows located around the secretariat to vacate the houses within a month.

“The government of Balochistan will demolish government accommodations situated at the White Road, the Superintendent Colony and the Secretariat Compound because of security concerns and the possible threat of explosion in the Civil Secretariat,” the notice said, adding that the residence should be vacated by Dec 1.

The notice urged the residents of these residential areas to make arrangements for their accommodation.

Sources said that about a hundred government officers and employees were residing in the houses and in a city like Quetta it was impossible to immediately make arrangements for alternative accommodation in the given time.

Criticising the decision, residents of the affected areas said that the S&GAD should provide alternative accommodations as it had provided to some officers whose bungalows were demolished when the Civil Secretariat was expanded.

Meanwhile, provincial Education Minister Shafiq Ahmed Khan also opposed the decision and said that he would take up the issue with the governor and the chief minister.

He said that in Quetta, only five per cent employees were living in government colonies because of shortage of government accommodation.

Terming the decision on security concerns unjustified, he said that the notice should be withdrawn immediately.