RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) halted the construction of a boundary wall around a retrieved plot worth Rs1 billion on Asghar Mall Road after backlash from locals.

Accompanied by the local police, the civic agency had reclaimed the piece of commercial land on a prime location under its anti-encroachment drive.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of RDA Land Director Malik Ghazanfar Ali.

According to officials, encroachments hindering traffic flow were removed on both sides of the Asghar Mall Road. Structures found violating approved building plans were also penalised.

They said the boundary wall of a marriage hall was also removed.However, tensions ran high when a plot measuring two Kanals was retrieved from encroachers and handed over to the estate management directorate to take possession.

When an RDA team started working on constructing a boundary wall, it was stopped abruptly.

When contacted, a senior official of RDA said they would resume the construction work on the retrieved land on Monday.

Meanwhile, RDA spokesman Hafiz Irfan said that the civic agency had retrieved two kanals of land on Asghar Mall Road. However, the boundary wall was not constructed due to some `resentments`.

`The directors of land and estate management directorates are resolving the issue between RDA and those who previously possessed the land.

The RDA has all the records of the land,` he said.