LAHORE:Though the present government has started a ruthless operation against encroachments across the province, a large number of residents of various housing societies especially ones under the jurisdiction of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) are waiting for a strong action by the authority against illegally installed gates.
Since long no particular drive was launched against this illegal activity, which has deprived citizens of their constitutional right of way. Citizens of various residential areas termed blockage of roads in the name of security encroachment and demanded the government to raze all illegal road blockages as soon as possible.
The localities of Faisal Town, Johar Town, Iqbal Town, Township, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Samanabad, Sabzaar, Tajpura and many other schemes are full of illegal road blockages and at many points, residents have to travel a long way to reach their homes. Many private housing societies, including Wapda Town, Nespak, Canal View, TECH Society, PCSIR, Gulshan-e-Lahore, Nasheman-e-Iqbal, EME and Valancia etc have also blocked entry of the general public to their area.
Our locality is full of illegally erected gates and barriers denying right of way to citizens, said Iftikhar Butt, a resident of Township B Block. He said recently some residents erected barriers on many roads in the name of security. He claimed that a proper complaint was lodged at LDA’s One Window but no action was taken.
Ahsan, a resident of Ravi Block, Iqbal Town, said erecting a gate or barrier blocking the entry to a road especially in residential area has become a common sight in the city. This indicates that the LDA and town administrations have failed to ensure a free passage to people. He said people living in one block also used to block the entry to roads by installing steel gates or barriers causing difficulties to residents of adjacent streets.
He said one could witness hundreds of such gates and barriers in Johar Town alone and despite repeated complaints and applications to various authorities no action has so far taken against these illegal structures. He appealed to the chief minister to pay a surprise visit to these areas to witness the gravity of the situation.
On the other hand, LDA officials said installation of gates on roads and barriers and construction of walls blocking entry from one society to another or blocking entry into a specific road or area was an illegal activity and was also banned by the Lahore High Court in past.
It was observed that most of the roads running parallel to main roads were also closed by residents to prevent motorists and motorcyclists from using them. For example, a road in Johar Town running parallel to the College Road (from Khokhar Chowk to Muhammad Ali Chowk) is closed by residents by installing a big steel gate. An armed guard sits at the gate and does not allow any vehicle to enter unless it has a pass issued to the residents by a local society.
Residents of Sector C2, Township, recently erected big steal gates on the road linking the other blocks of the society as well as Green Town police station and Edhi Old Home to the main road. The gate was closed and residents living nearby have to travel some two kilometres to reach the main road.
Another example of this violation is closure of all roads to Model Town Society at night. Residents of Faisal Town, Johar Town, Township, Green Town and many others nearby localities who used to travel through Model Town Society (MTS) are facing serious problem due to the barriers installed by the MTS on all of its 26 exit and entry points. After 7pm all these barriers except four main points are closed to traffic. Even the road leading to Ittefaq Hospital from Model Town is blocked with a barrier and residents of MTS as well as nearby areas have to adopt a very long route to reach the hospital.
Kaleem, a resident of Model Town flats, strongly criticised the government for its failure saying, thousands of people are living in S, Q, R Blocks of Model Town, Pindi Rajputtan, Thalla flats and other private colonies and all of them were deprived of their right of way. “Under which law the MTS is allowed to deny entry to thousands of people,” he questioned.
The Model Town Society administration, however, asserted the move was initiated on the request of the residents because MTS has turned into a passage to other societies. They said four main entry and exit points of MTS have been left open for general public after 7pm and anyone could pass through the MTS through these points. A senior official of City district Government Lahore (CDGL) said installation of gates and barriers to block public entry was an illegal act and all such gates and barriers were an encroachment on the road. All concerned agencies such as the LDA, TMAs and the CDGL have termed installation of gates illegal but no one had taken action against this.
LDA spokesman said that the authority used to take action against such illegal gates in routine and all public complaints in this regard were addressed. He said LDA’s enforcement and other wings have already taken action against many private housing societies for blocking roads.