Railway authorities demolish encroachments in Larkana

Residents protest demolition, authorities claim they were warned

SUKKUR: The railway authorities, with the help of the district police and Rangers, started demolishing on Monday houses, shops, marriage halls and other illegal buildings, constructed near the railway lines in Larkana.

In an attempt to remove encroachments on both sides of the tracks, a railway authority team, along with heavy machinery, demolished illegally constructed structures on both sides of the railway tracks near the Brohi railway crossing in Larkana. As soon as the officials started demolishing the encroachments, the residents came out and started shouting slogans against the railway authorities. However, no untoward incident took place due to the presence of a heavy contingent of police and Rangers.





In the first phase, the railway authorities demolished encroachments along a one-and-a-half kilometre-long belt from the Brohi railway crossing to the bus stop in Larkana. In the second phase of this drive, all encroachments constructed near the railway tracks will be removed.

The divisional superintendent of Sukkur railway division, Aijaz Buriro, said they had issued notices to the encroachers, asking them to remove the encroachments on their own. "But nobody did anything, therefore, on Monday we started our drive, which will continue till the removal of all the encroachments near the railway track," he said. "We are not against the poor but are just trying to ensure the safety of the railway tracks and the people living near it," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2015.