Land grabbers encroaching on natural streams

They are filling up natural streams with rubble, debris to change direction of water flow

HARIPUR:

An increasing number of reports about land mafia encroaching on natural streams with the alleged connivance of local administration in district Haripur have come to light.

It has been learnt that after encroaching the streams, the land grabbers fill them up and then proceed to sell or purchase these ‘plots’.

Owners of land adjacent to these natural streams have apprised the courts about their concerns, with the most recent encroachment occurring in the Talokar area of Haripur.

Sources said that land grabbers are actively filling up the natural stream at Talokar with rubble and debris, which will eventually force the water to change its course and flow in a different direction. This leaves the stream’s bed dry, which is then ‘plotted’ by encroachers and sold illegally.

Encroachments like these have allegedly been taking place all over the district with the alleged connivance of local administration and land mafia continues to flout the laws without any accountability.

Local inhabitants told reporters that while the original length of the waterway in Talokar measured 100ft, the remaining area hardly measures 10-15ft after the land grabbers had dumped rubble into the stream.

Residents fear that changing the course of water may result in a catastrophe during heavy rains and might cause irreparable loss of life and property.

When contacted, the authorities concerned belonging to the local administration declared that no one is allowed to carry out illegal activities and action will be taken as per law against violators.

They added that they have retrieved considerable state land from encroachers, who had taken illegal possession of the said land since many years.

Bridge in danger of collapse

A bridge built in the area of Mankarai in Haripur is in danger of collapsing due to huge cracks and poor construction of the structure.

The bridge, which was initially allocated over Rs20 million to be built, was constructed in four years at a ballooned cost of Rs180 million. It was inaugurated ahead of the 2018 general elections to allegedly mint votes from the local populace.

However, as cracks began to appear within a few days after its inauguration, the bridge was closed down for all kinds of traffic, be it heavy or light.

The bridge was later reopened, but has been in danger of causing serious mishaps since the past 18 months.

The citizens have appealed to the provincial government as well as local administration to arrange a team of experts to analyse the bridge and take immediate steps to strengthen it before anything untoward occurs.

Former provincial minister Qazi Muhammad Asad has also asked the Anti-Corruption Department to investigate the alleged use of substandard construction material for building the bridge and bring the culprits to book.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2022.