Anti-encroachment drive at Rawalpindi business centres lauded

RAWALPINDI: Shoppers, traders and commuters have hailed the ongoing anti-encroachment drive at business centres of Rawalpindi. They termed it a welcome sign and gave credit to the Lahore High Court for making the local administration comply with orders the court, in letter and spirit.

The situation is a sigh of relief for commuters and shoppers at these business centres and they termed better late than never. Some shoppers enjoying the situation said that there is no denying the fact that the shopkeepers themselves have sub-let these stalls to make some extra earning while these stall holders grease the palms of RTA staff too.

They said that now the situation could be rectified, by setting in place a system, which comprises representatives of RTA, area police, and most importantly traders to keep an eye on the bazaars in their locality and watch out against re-sprouting of these encroachments. “These very people should be held responsible, if encroachments reappear in bazaars," said Akbar Ali, a man visiting Raja Bazaar with his family.

This seems to be quite an interesting scenario and the LHC should also compel the city administration to chalk out a specific anti-encroachment plan to stop re-emergence of encroachments in the city. Reehan Adil, visiting Trunk Bazaar said that the shopkeepers should not be allowed to take their goods outside the shutters of their shops. They should be made to pay hefty fines for initial offence and their shops should be sealed if they commit repeated offences. They have no right to occupy the space in front of their shops particularly the pavements as it is meant for public to walk.

A trader Khushdil Khan supported the comments made by Reehan Adil. He said that they don't mind it at all until all the traders comply with the court orders "This is a tit for tit exercise we have no option but to show our goods outside the shop, as the nearby shops block the view of visiting customers. If all the shops in a line have their goods inside their shops then we have no hesitation in staying within our limits," he added.

A traffic warden on condition of anonymity said that they always found it hard to perform their duty at these centres as there was no space for traffic movement. “The shopkeepers had placed their goods in front of their shops and it was always hard for us to man the traffic,” he added. 

They said the anti-encroachment drive at Barra Market, Trunk Bazaar, Iqbal Road and the area around, undoubtedly hub of trade were teeming with encroachments in front of shops and in middle of roads. And lo! As if some miracle had happened: everything seemed quite in order and in place. It seemed as if some genie had removed all the encroachments or dissolved them into thin air.  But the question remains whether this operation will have a permanent impact on the encroachment scene of the city.  The traders said encroachments mar the beauty of the business centre, now the administration after streamlining the system should work on beautifying the area.