Murree residents resist Mall Road II project

MURREE:

The locals of the Danna and Arwari areas in Murree have strongly reacted against the proposed Mall Road-II project.

Members of the Danna Arwari Action Committee including Asad Iqbal Abbasi, Shaukat Ali Abbasi, Major (retd) Amjad, Kamran Abbasi, and others addressed a news conference in Murree on Monday. The action committee said that they met with Rawalpindi Commissioner and Murree Assistant Commissioner (AC) and apprised them of their reservations on the project.

Committee members added that they will not let the government grab their lands even if they have to sacrifice everything. They added that they have inherited the lands from their ancestors whose graves are present in the area.

Action committee members said that the historic value of Mall Road should not be disturbed but it should be expanded to give visitors access to the hill station.

The committee members said that they reserve the right to live on their ancestral lands and will not allow any forced acquisition and evictions to favour of investors and real estate developers. The surroundings of Danna and Arwari are heavily populated and people own businesses there.

The bureaucracy banned new constructions in the area which was against their rights. They warned of a protest unless the November 11 notification is withdrawn.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2020.