Mall Road operation targets hotels, shops

Acting on directives from the Punjab government, the district administration has launched an operation to reclaim 20 kanal of land acquired under the Mall Road Hillside Acquisition project as part of the Murree Development Plan.

On Wednesday, the operation began at a residential hotel on Mall Road Hillside under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner Murree, Captain (retd) Arshad Iqbal, accompanied by heavy contingents of para force, civil defence, and Punjab Police. The hotel was demolished using heavy machinery during the operation.

The project includes more than 10 large residential hotels and over 50 shops on Mall Road. The acquisition collector has also issued orders to owners to vacate hotel buildings and shops.

Under the land acquisition plan, affected landowners and traders will be compensated for land, structures, and loss of business.

However, affected individuals say hundreds of families depend on these hotels and shops for their livelihoods and will lose their source of income, while hundreds of employees working there for years will also become jobless.