Peshawar Clears Encroachments and Begins Ring Road Rehabilitation

Overview

• District teams, police and the Tehsil Municipal Administration launched targeted removals on major markets and road sections, focusing on Khyber Bazaar, Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Hashtnagri, Firdous and stretches of Ring Road and Warsak Road.
• Officials opened legal cases and set a voluntary removal window before forcible clearance, a move Governor Faisal Karim Kundi described as enforcing a zero-tolerance policy.
• Rehabilitation and beautification work has started on parts of the Ring Road to restore its original layout, improve traffic flow and make pedestrian pathways usable again.
• Traders and small vendors have demanded designated vending areas and alternative spaces to protect livelihoods, while urban planners warn that removal alone will not stop re-encroachment without parking, zoning and regular enforcement.
• Residents and transporters say the clearances respond to long-running problems that forced people onto busy carriageways and sometimes delayed ambulances and school transport, and observers say sustained planning and monitoring will determine whether the gains last.