MANSEHRA: The Kaghan Development Authority has demolished around a dozen illegal hotels, restaurants and shops alongside the Kunhar River and streams in Kaghan valley.

It also got 25 residents, including building owners, booked for resisting the anti-encroachment drive in Barawai and other areas of the valley.

KDA assistant director Asad Shahzad told Dawn on Friday that the buildings put up in violation of the River Protection Act, 2002, were being pulled down to ensure smooth flow of the river and streams. He said that the KDA won’t spare any riverside encroachments as they caused flooding during heavy rainfall.

“Kaghan valley and its adjoining Manor valley suffered a lot last year as more than 12 people were killed and shops, hotels and houses were washed away in flash floods,” he said.

Official promises removal of other encroachments as well

Mr Shahzad said that the KDA had issued notices to 26 people, whose hotels and buildings hampered flow of the Kunhar River, streams and nullah.

“As soon as legal formalities are fulfilled, we will demolish these illegal structures,” he said.

The official also said that the authority had got work on the riverside hotels and other commercial buildings stopped in the valley for being against the law.

PROTEST: Residents of Dodial and its adjoining areas on Friday demonstrated against a delay in the blacktopping of the Karakoram Highway and warned that if the National Highway Authority didn’t resume work in the next three days, they would block the Hazara Expressway indefinitely.

They marched on the KKH in Dodial area shouting slogans against the NHA.

Maulana Amir Mehmood complained that the contractor dug up the KKH from the Hazara University to Dodial for blacktopping but abandoned work a month ago inconveniencing travellers and traders.

He said that the government had approved Rs760 million for the blacktopping of the highway’s Qalanderabad-Shinkiari section but the contractor didn’t complete work.

Another protester, Maulana Mohammad Nawaz, said that a delay in the highway’s blacktopping caused travel and respiratory problems.

He said that the deputy commissioner should ensure the early completion of work on the section.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2023