1,824 illegal shops to be razed in next phase of drive

As many as 1,824 illegal shops will be demolished in the next phase of the anti-encroachment drive in the city by mid-April. KMC Anti-Encroachment Senior Director Bashir Siddiqi told this to The News on Monday at his office. He said that notices had been issued to the shopkeepers, adding that the KMC planned to remove all the encroachments from roads, drains, footpaths and parks during the drive.

A total of 708 shops in the Lea Market, 108 in the Taj Mahal Market, 447 in the Jubilee Cloth Market, 180 in the Aurangzeb Market, 148 in the Bahdurshah Zafar Market, 102 in the Pitcher Nala area and 137 shops in the Madina Market would be demolished. According to shopkeepers, they have been running their shops for the past 40 years, and also paying taxes to the KMC on a regular basis.