Units cleared for highway expansion

In a coordinated effort to clear space for the expansion of National Highway N-75, the Islamabad district administration and the National Highway Authority (NHA) launched an extensive anti-encroachment operation in Bhara Kahu, removing encroachments from over two dozen commercial units.

The drive, supported by federal police and heavy machinery, targeted illegal structures and parking spaces that had occupied government land for years, the spokesman of the ICT administration said on Sunday.

He said that the operation aimed at clearing government land in Bhara Kahu began in the afternoon and continued late into the night. The focus of the effort was to facilitate the planned widening of National Highway N-75, a major road linking Islamabad to Murree and Azad Kashmir.

The anti-encroachment operation was jointly conducted by the NHA and Islamabad's district administration. Personnel from the federal police also assisted in maintaining order during the drive, which was carried out without prior announcement to prevent interference.

Assistant Commissioner Secretariat Uzair Ali Khan supervised the operation on behalf of the district administration. The spokesman stated that illegal parking spaces belonging to several commercial centres were removed. In addition, signboards and extended stairways built on public land were taken down using heavy machinery.

The drive led to the removal of encroachments from 26 commercial units. These businesses had set up structures on land owned by the government, hindering traffic flow and delaying road expansion work. The cleared area is now expected to be used for road development and public use. Officials said that the operation had been planned for weeks, based on a detailed survey identifying key encroachment hotspots.