Lahore: Dhobi Ghat residents protest against anti-encroachment campaign

[LahoreEstate]

* Teenager injured during clash with administration
* Locals claim court orders were not shown to them

Staff Report

LAHORE: The residents of Dhobi Ghat, Cantt resisted the Cantonment administration’s efforts to demolish illegal constructions in the area on Monday.

The Cantt administration arrived at the Dhobi Ghat, and attempted to demolish the constructions with the help of cranes. The residents protested against the administration and said the administration did not have a court order to evacuate the site, whereas they had a stay order from the court. The locals said the administration did not give them any prior notice and started the evacuation process after giving them only half-an-hour to vacate their houses.

Teenager injured: The administration demolished over 15 houses with the help of police. There was a fierce clash between the administration and the residents, during which a teenager was injured and was rushed to hospital where he was stated to be in critical condition. Female police entered the houses and thrashed the women inside. The women in the houses took out daggers for their defence.

The residents protested on the main road and blocked the traffic by burning tyres. They chanted slogans against the administration and alleged that they had asked the locals for bribes. “We have been living here for the last 30 years and the case has been pending in the court since 1994,” a local said, adding that if the administration had won the case, the court orders must be presented. “They started throwing our luggage out of our homes and then bulldozed our houses,” he said.

Court orders: He claimed that he showed the stay order to the administration. When the administration was asked to show the residents the court orders for evacuation, they were informed that the orders were in the office of the Cantonment administration, he added.

However, the Cantonment administration Secretary Sajjad Nazir said the residents had not produced the stay order and the administration had issued them notices. He said they had informed the locals to vacate the houses.

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