LAHORE: Lahore’s district administration, along with the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL), conducted a massive anti-encroachment operation in Johar Town and Anarkali areas on Tuesday. About 80 kanals of land, under use for both residential and commercial purposes, was retrieved in the operation. The encroachments demolished on the first day of the drive on Monday included a furniture market set up by notorious land grabber known as Mansha Bomb. According to details shared with the press, the district authorities demolished more than 25 showrooms and reclaimed possession of 20 commercial plots from the land grabber. Heavy machinery was used in the operation while dozens of police and civil defence officials were also present on the spot to avoid any untoward incident. Deputy Commissioner Lahore Captain (r) Anwarul Haq also visited the site in Johar Town and remained there for five hours to inspect the operation. Tuesday’s operation came a day after the Supreme Court ordered the Ministry of Interior to place Mansha Bomb and his sons on the Exit Control List. Similarly, District Administration along with MCL also launched an operation in Anarkali where the encroachment team removed permanent and temporary encroachments. District Administration has completed 40 percent of the operation in Anarkali Bazaar area. During the demolition of a shop, the shopkeeper sustained injuries when debris fell upon him as he tried to prevent the demolition. He was shifted to the hospital for treatment. Shopkeepers and residents resorted to protest the demolition, resulting in the arrest of a person by the police on rioting charges. DC Lahore Captain (r) Anwarul Haq, while talking to the media, said that the administration was fully vigilant in the anti-encroachment drive and it would complete the operation until the complete elimination of encroachments and retrieval of state land from the metropolitan city. “Temporary and permanent setups in marketplaces will also be removed,” he said. He added that the operation will start from Sabzazar truck stand, Anarkali, Willingdon Road and Urdu Bazaar. The authorities plan to retrieve 31,687 kanal state land, 280 acres land of the forest department, eight plots in the Walled City, 636 kanal land of LDA and 32 plots worth Rs 2 billion of the MCL. many as 50,000 plants will be planted on the land retrieved from the forest department. Published in Daily Times, September 3rd 2018.