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Thursday March 28, 2024

No political interference in MCR’s work: Rashid Shafiq

By Khalid Iqbal
December 06, 2021

Rawalpindi : The local political leadership of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) has refuted the statement given by the Town Officer (Regulation) Imran Ali that political interference has tied up their hands to take permanent action against ever-increasing encroachments in the city.

The ‘corrupt’ officers of Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) are blaming political leadership only to avoid accountability otherwise they are independent to remove encroachments from every nook and corner of the city, the local political leadership of PTI told ‘The News’ here on Sunday.

Some four days ago in a meeting held here in Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR), the elected Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen protested against increasing encroachments in all city areas and blamed the Regulation department for its inaction. In reaction, the Town Officer (Regulation) Imran Ali in a statement blamed that political interference does not allow them to take permanent action against the encroachment mafia. He also said that they would remove all kinds of encroachments within a week if political interference stopped.

Member National Assembly (MNA) Shaikh Rashid Shafiq elected from Rawalpindi while talking to ‘The News’ refuted the statement given by Town Officer (Regulation) and said there was no political interference in any work of MCR. “The officers concerned are only point-scoring by giving such kinds of baseless statements. The officers have their own interests therefore they are not discouraging encroachment mafia. The encroachment mafia is freely ruling the city areas due to full backing of enforcement department of Municipal Corporation,” he claimed. All responsible officers would be accountable at the time of an inquiry, he warned.

Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) elected from Rawalpindi Jazi Khan also condemned this statement and said that they were continuously discouraging encroachments rather encouraging them. The encroachment mafia is occupying even main roads, he said.

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, Fiaz-ul-Hasan Chohan’s spokesman Chaudhry Muhammad Obed on behalf of his leader also condemned this statement and said that they were trying to remove all kinds of encroachments from all areas. “The enforcement department is not doing anything to clear this city from encroachment mafia,” he said. He has admitted that the public has been facing enormous problems because of ever-increasing encroachments in the city bazaars.

One can observe the traffic jams in many areas of Rawalpindi including Raja Bazaar, City Saddar Road, Kashmiri Bazaar, Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Commercial Market, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni, Bagh Sardaran, and several other areas just because of these encroachers.

In crowded markets, shopkeepers and hawkers encroach on the pavement. Without a footpath to walk on, it takes a lot of skill to weave through the assorted obstructions to get to one’s destination. “I think it has gone from bad to worse, especially in Raja Bazaar, City Saddar Road, Sadiqabad and Commercial Market and the surrounding areas. There is no place to park the increasing number of cars, so they block the footpath. Pedestrians who want to use the footpath face obstructions because of vendors who set up everything from second-hand garments to tea stalls on the pavement,” said Muhammad Ikram, a customer in Barra Market.

“Even in residential areas, if there are any footpaths, they have been encroached upon,” he claimed.

Rashid Mehmood, a motorist said that it was very difficult to cross Raja Bazaar during the peak hours because encroachers make it virtually impossible for motorists to drive smoothly causing many accidents. “You can’t even see the footpath as every inch is covered with the merchandise. You can barely walk on them except those that have been recently paved,” said Muhammad Amjad, a customer in Sadiqabad Bazaar.

“Auto workshops have encroached on the road near National Market and shopkeepers have occupied whatever footpaths there are on Saidpur Road,” he said.

“When footpaths are cleared by force, vendors return after a short break. Even widening roads has proved to be of little use as encroachers are quick to set up shop,” said Muhammad Riaz, a hawker outside Benazir Hospital.

He appealed to concerned authorities and local leadership to look into the matter seriously as the encroachment phenomenon will affect the beauty of the city.