Action against motorists sparks shopkeepers protest 

Demonstrators block main road for hours creating
traffic jam; shopkeepers want parking spaces allocated for shoppers

Rawalpindi

The traffic on Benazir Bhutto Road remained suspended for a long period of time on Tuesday after some altercations between traffic wardens and shopkeepers over wrong parking in front of shops. 

The angry shopkeepers burnt tyres and blocked the road for many hours creating problems for motorists. The protesters did not even allow motorists to cross the road and if anybody dared to do so they were treated harshly. The motorists diverted to alternative routes like Rawal Road, Saidpur Road, Asghar Mall Road, Chah Sultan Road, but all in vain because all roads were jampacked.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Waris Khan Police Station Mirza Zaman Raza told ‘The News’ that some traffic wardens lifted vehicles parked wrongly along Benazir Bhutto Road. “They burst tyres of motorcars parked in front of shops. In reaction, the shopkeepers started protesting, as the parked cars belonged to their customers. There was some misunderstanding between the shopkeepers and traffic wardens,” he claimed. “We are trying to cool down the situation,” he added. 

On the other hand, the angry protesters raised slogans against traffic wardens and city district government, Rawalpindi, demanding parking spaces so that people could visit the shopping area without any difficulty. 

A senior traffic warden told this scribe that shopkeepers and motor mechanics occupy roads and footpaths which results in persistent traffic jams on Benazir Bhutto Road. “It even becomes difficult for pedestrians to walk because of traffic rush, therefore the crackdown against wrong parking was initiated on Tuesday. We would not spare even a single motorist for wrong parking,” he claimed.