Encroachments cause traffic jams

Rawalpindi : Encroachments in various areas leading to frequent traffic jams in the city which has created a lot of problems for the citizens.

The city has become so congested that people have to look for parking space for vehicles and are stuck in long traffic jams.

At several places, drivers have created their own unauthorised parking which were leading to more traffic congestion in the city. Apart from shopkeepers having encroached the area outside their shops, fruit and vegetable vendors stand illegally at any place in the market due to which very little space is left for commuters to pass by.

Talking to APP, the residents said that few days ago, an anti-encroachment operation was carried out on Chakri Road but after that there was not keeping proper check, the mafia had re-established the encroachments and the 200 feet wide road had been shrunk to 40 feet. Over this situation, the citizens expressed their anger and said that the encroachment mafia encroached Road Lal Kothi, Liaquat Colony, Lala Rukh Colony, Mohra Chappar, Dhamayal and Malikpur.

“We are living under miserable conditions as encroachers have reached to our streets and houses,” Anjum and Zarrar, resident of Dhamayal said.

The citizens said that operations should be carried out on permanent basis to eradicate the encroachments and cases should be registered against the shopkeepers who commit the encroachments.