Encroachers fined Rs6.5m in Rawalpindi Cantonment Board

Rawalpindi :The enforcement branch of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board has managed to impose huge fines estimating Rs6.5 millions over the last 10 months while carrying grand operations against encroachers to check the nuisance of encroachments from almost every market, bazaar and busy roads falling in the vicinity of the civic body.

Talking to ‘The News’ the enforcement chief, Hassan Jan briefed that before the orders of the Supreme Court the enforcement branch had been carrying drives against encroachers while receiving complaints and after the directions of this apex court we intensified operations process to clean the wards from encroachments . The operations against encroachers are being carried out on daily basis, he told.

The report of daily operations is submitted to the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Saima Shah and other concerned officials including Additional Executive Officer and Deputy Executive Officer.  According to the enforcement chief RCB enforcement cell has confiscated 1051 hand carts, 6403 counters and other items creating encroachments. With the clearance of fines, the confiscated items are returned to the related people directing them not to re-establish their business again. The enforcement cell however, damage those push carts which do not contain licence number.

Replying to a question, Hassan Jan told that the purpose of taking action against encroachers is just to discourage and check from doing encroachments which results in many problems. Encroachment is an unending issue which is tackled through actions to discourage the encroachments. Due to unemployment jobless people establish their business at different place to earn their livelihoods. However, several number of people violate the rules and regulations while results in encroachments. Before taking any action or launching drives RCB serves notices to a particular person directing them to remove encroachment. On violations of our directions, we take legal actions against the concerned persons including stall holders, cart pushers etc.

Hassan Jan did not agree to a question that the enforcement cell staff takes action only against cart pushers and vendors while the shopkeepers, traders are spared . Clearing he said that while removing temporary encroachments, the shopkeepers and traders are also discouraged. We through the representatives of the markets and traders unions warn the shopkeepers not to make cemented constructions outside their shops and avoid placing selling items out of their limited space. The enforcement staff also impose fines on shopkeepers as well for not abiding by the rules and regulations.

The major places where RCB carries out operations on daily basis include Wedtridge, Tench Bhatta, Saddar areas. In these mentioned places, we try our best to keep the flow of traffic moving on through ending any type of encroachments, he said.

Replying to yet another question, Hassan Jan vowed that the process of regular drives against encroachers would continue and it is hoped that in the next two months of the current fiscal year, the enforcement cell would succeed to make more recovery through fines from encroachers and the amount could exceed to more than Rs7 millions.

Our correspondent adds: As many as 406 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff would be filled in 68 schools of the district that would be upgraded in line with the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. According to a notification issued by the Finance Department Punjab, 406 posts have been sanctioned for the teaching and non-teaching staff in 68 government schools and recruitment in this respect would be carried out according to the rules and procedures. Every school will have 6 posts of grade 19; 3 of grade 18; 40 of grade 17; 41 of grade 16; 120 of grade 14; one of grade 9; 42 of grade 7 and 108 of grade 1.

The notification that has been issued with the signature of Secretary School Education Department Dr. Allah Bakhsh Malik showed that thirty schools would be upgraded from primary to elementary level and these would have 180 staff members in teaching and non-teaching categories.

The district government had sent a summary to the Finance Department Punjab some three years ago to upgrade these schools.