Massive encroachments still persist in city

Rawalpindi

The presence of massive encroachments in every bazaar and markets of Rawalpindi city clearly exposes the inefficiency and failure of the enforcement cell of Tehsil Municipal Administration, Rawal Town to remove them.

After assuming charge of Mayor of Rawalpindi this year, Sardar Nasim had laid removal of encroachments from the city as his main priority. However, even after passage of three months of making commitment and till deseating by ECP and restoration by Lahore High Court, Sardar Nasim also failed to fulfil his pledge in practical form. As a result of this indifference and negligence, a large number of encroachments could be witnessed in markets and bazaars of every union councils and tehsil areas. The encroachments are off all kinds including stalls, push carts (rehris), display of items out of the limited areas by shopkeepers. Their existence in massive numbers results in traffic snarls on roads, whose space have now become narrow with the increase in number of vehicles besides posing great problems for people moving along these routes.

The existence of encroachments in Namak Mandi is in excess which could be witnessed in the picture is one glaring example to cite about the inability of the enforcement cell of TMA, Rawal Town and other related officials for their continuous failure to take notice against the concerned staff. Other parts of the city are also fully covered by massive encroachments including Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Commercial Centre, Satellite Town, Raja Bazar, Dhok Khaba, Dhok Farman Ali, Jinnah Road, Asghar Mall, New Katarian,  Dhok Ratta, Bani, Pindora, Chah Sultan, Shamshabad and Double Road.

Even in different parts of Murree Road, encroachers have established their business. One can’t blame cart-pushers only because the shopkeepers, traders have displayed all kind of selling items freely out of their shops and beyond the limits. All these encroachments are visible but the enforcement staff has never bothered to take action against them during operations against encroachers. Only cart pushers become target of action by enforcement staff.

A day before the deseating when this correspondent approached Sardar Nasim and reminded him about his commitment to clean the city of encroachers, he had stated that work on the plan is under way. According to Sardar Nasim, there is dearth of staff in enforcement cell. At present the enforcement cell has strength of only 25 to 30 workers. We are deciding to double the number of enforcement staff.

Moreover, under the plan, inspectors would be deputed in four major parts of the city including Raja Bazar, Sadiqabad, Commercial Market and Banni, whose responsibility would be to check and discourage encroachments. However, Sardar Nasim seemed reluctant to say how much time it will take to implement the plan for clearing the city from all type of encroachers for smoothening traffic snarls and minimizing the hardships being faced by the citizens.