Authorities in Peshawar have demolished more than 450 shops, markets and other structures built on government land during an ongoing anti-encroachment drive along Ring Road. Peshawar Ring Road demolitions began last week and cover the road and nearby areas, according to the district administration.
Officials say the aim is to reclaim public land, widen roads and public passageways, and remove obstacles that disrupt traffic. Teams from the Peshawar Development Authority and other departments are using heavy machinery to remove the encroachments.
The drive started in Garhi Qamardin before extending to Jamil Chowk, Pir Zakori Flyover, Pushtakhara Chowk and other sections of Ring Road. The administration says improving travel conditions remains a key objective.
Peshawar Ring Road demolitions: where the drive has reached
Authorities previously removed encroachments around Kabutar Chowk as part of the Ring Road underpass project. That earlier work forms part of the same push to clear the road corridor, and the current drive extends it to new sections.
Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir has directed officials to stop encroachers from returning to cleared locations. The direction matters because cleared land in busy commercial areas often fills again quickly, and the administration wants the new road space to stay open.
Similar operations are taking place elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The scale of the Peshawar drive, with more than 450 structures removed, makes it one of the larger clearance efforts in the province in recent weeks.
Traders raise concerns about livelihoods and notice
In Charsadda, affected traders have raised concerns about losing their livelihoods. Some also allege that authorities demolished structures without providing adequate notice.
Those concerns sit at the heart of every encroachment drive in a trading city. A shop on a main road is often a family’s only income, and its removal, even from public land, can leave traders with no place to trade and no compensation path unless one is set out clearly.
The administration maintains that it will continue removing illegal occupation of government land. It has not, in the reporting so far, set out a relocation plan for the traders affected in Peshawar, and that gap is likely to shape how the drive is judged in the coming days.
Why Ring Road matters for Peshawar
Ring Road carries heavy traffic around the city, and encroachments narrow it at exactly the points where traffic already slows. Shops, markets and stalls built on public land push pedestrians onto the carriageway and force vehicles into fewer lanes, which adds to congestion and raises the risk of accidents.
Clearing the road therefore has a direct effect on daily travel for residents, traders and transporters who use the route. It also matters for the city’s wider governance record. Peshawar has faced questions in recent weeks about public safety and oversight, including the school building collapse covered in our report on the safety gaps after the Peshawar school collapse.
Public health work in the city continues alongside the drive, including the polio booster drive in Peshawar and the dengue response in nearby Kohat. Taken together, the stories show a city administration juggling health, safety and traffic pressures at the same time.
Whether the Ring Road drive holds will depend on enforcement after the machinery leaves. If cleared spots stay clear, traffic should improve. If traders return for lack of an alternative, the same work will need doing again.
The drive was reported by ProPakistani.
How many structures have been demolished?
More than 450 shops, markets and other structures built on government land have been demolished along Ring Road.
When did the drive begin?
The campaign began last week, according to the district administration.
Which areas has it covered?
It started in Garhi Qamardin and extended to Jamil Chowk, Pir Zakori Flyover, Pushtakhara Chowk and other sections of Ring Road.
What have traders said?
In Charsadda, affected traders raised concerns about losing their livelihoods, and some alleged that structures were demolished without adequate notice.
