50 Shah Alam Market shops demolished

LAHORE: The district administration continued its anti-encroachment operation in Shah Alam Market on a second day and demolished 350 portions of shops illegally constructed on the space of verandas, besides demolishing 50 shops constructed illegal on state land.

The estimated cost of the area retrieved is Rs 3 billion, officials said, adding the city assistant commissioner along with the enforcement teams of MCL and police was leading the operation.

In three other operations on the 21 roads declared model ones by the Lahore DC some days back, assistant commissioners sealed 16 shops on keeping goods outside the premises of shops along with the registration of criminal cases against 54 shopkeepers. The roads included Allama Iqbal Road and GT Road at Baghwanpura.

The district administration initiated the anti-encroachment operation two days back in Shah Alam Market which was encroached upon on a massive scale. Before the operation, the administration sensitised the traders about the encroached portion through the market map of 1934. The traders were requested to demolish the encroachments by themselves and a deadline was given to them. However, after the deadline, the operation was started and the administration demolished the extended portions of 350 shops constructed in the verandas.

Similarly, 50 shops, completely constructed on state land, were razed with heavy machinery. The estimated cost of the retrieved portion and land is Rs 3 billion according to the market value.

DC Ms Saleha Saeed has directed all the assistant commissioners to monitor all operations by themselves and directed ZORs and ZOPs to remain active in the field. In a meeting, the DC warned all MCL officers and staff against any negligence in the operation clean-up.

food handlers: As many as 484 food handlers were declared unfit to work by Punjab Food Authority on Tuesday after their medical examination revealed shocking results. Officials said the PFA director general declared the 484 food handlers “ill.” PFA had taken the blood samples of 3,846 food handlers/workers for medical screening in November. As many as 3,362 workers passed the test and the rest failed it. As many as 1,786 workers were screened in Lahore, 662 in Multan and 744 each in Rawalpindi and Gujranwala. PFA DG Muhammad Usman said that out of the 484 ill workers, 74 had hepatitis C virus (HCV), 58 hepatitis B virus (HBV), 36 tuberculosis (TB) and 316 typhoid illness.