MANSEHRA: The tehsil municipal administration (TMA) launched an anti-encroachment campaign on Tuesday and removed temporary illegal structures and handcarts in Oghi city and its suburbs.

`We have done away with temporary encroachments to ensure smooth flow of traffic,` tehsil municipal officer Amir Shahzad told reporters in Oghi.

A joint team of police and TMA employees, led by anti-encroachment officers Altaf Tanoli and Farhan Khan, removed temporary structures and handcarts and shifted them to designated godowns.

Mr Shahzad said the fines were also imposed on shopkeepers who placed goods on footpaths and pavements outside their shops.

`We have confiscated handcarts for obstructing traffic and issued warnings to some vendors to move them away from busy bazaars and roads,` he said.

The TMO said the ongoing operation would continue in other parts of the city and its suburbs to ensure smooth movement for pedestrians and shoppers, without hindering business activities or traffic flow.

`We are also working on a city beautification plan, which can only be achieved by removing encroachments and hurdles from the roads and inside the city, he said.

Mr Shahzad said streetlights were also being installed in areas still without that civic service.

`Traders and residents should cooperate with our sanitary and anti-encroachment staff so that we can address civic and environmental issues effectively,` he said.

The TMO said those warned during that ongoing operation would face strict action if they didn`t remove encroachments during the deadline fixed for them.

ACCIDENT: A driver was killed and a conductor suffered critical injuries when a lorry loaded with granite rocks fell into a ravine in the Battal area here on Tuesday.

`We shifted both the injured to a nearby health centre, where doctors pronounced one of them dead, Rescue 1122 district emergency officer Abrar Ali told reporters.

According to Rescue 1122, the incident occurred when the driver lost control of the lorry while negotiating a sharp turn and fell into the ravine.

The vehicle was bound for Mansehra from Battal.

Rescue teams shifted the injured to a nearby health facility, where the driver, Khursheed Gul, was pronounced dead.

Conductor Saeedur Rehman was referred to the Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad, where his condition was stated to be stable and out of danger.

Mr Ali said a preliminary investigation revealed that the lorry`s brakes failed, causing the driver to lose its control.