Gujar khan   -   In a bid to preserve the historic fort of Rohtas, the district administration of Jhelum has initiated an operation to clean up illegal encroachments on its premises.  

As part of this endeavor, they have successfully removed several illegally constructed houses and other structures. Syedah Ramla Ali, deputy commissioner of Jhelum, has stated that the Rohtas fort is a centuries-old archaeological site that is also protected by UNESCO. According to the officer, the persistent trend of illegally occupying open spaces and plots has been ongoing in this area for several decades, and launching the operation was inevitable to conserve the historical site.

 In line with this, the assistant commissioner, Dina, was given specific instructions to initiate the operation. According to Ms. Sadia Hussain Dogar, the assistant commissioner of Dina town, over 20 kanals of land have been illegally occupied, including parts of a graveyard. According to her, the district and tehsil administration have responded promptly to the issue by taking the necessary action, adding that notices were also served to illegal occupants to voluntarily vacate the lands. Ms. Dogar said that they have successfully removed the illegally constructed houses that were not in accordance with the approved map. This operation will persist until the entire area is completely cleared, she said, adding that the forest lands encroached on in the area will also be liberated from encroachers through such operations in the coming days. 

During the operation, SHO Dina, Ehsan Abbas Shah, also remained at the site along with heavy contingents of police in order to avert any untoward situation.