December 3, 2002	Tuesday	Ramazan 27,1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

PESHAWAR, Dec 2: The shopkeepers in the Cantonment area have been badly affected by the untimely anti-encroachment drive launched by the government.

They say that the drive was launched at a time when Eid shopping was just about to gain some momentum, so they were not able to buy new stocks, and sales fell drastically.

The government started an anti-encroachment drive throughout the city, including Cantonment area, in July with a view to widen the roads and correct faulty telephone, electricity and gas system.

Not everybody was unhappy with the drive. It has widely been appreciated by the pedestrians and motorists who are already beginning to feel the comfort and convenience of walking and driving on wide roads.

But the shopkeepers argue that they had lost millions not only by surrendering certain sections of their properties, but they had also to reconstruct and repair the remaining parts.

“We have been involved in the repairs to our shops and have not been able to acquire new stocks for Eid. Initially, we had requested the authorities to defer the anti- encroachment drive until after Eid, but our request fell on deaf ears,” said an owner of a garment store at Jinnah Street in the Cantonment area.

He said that previously they used to make more money during Ramazan but this year they have not been able to place orders for new stocks with parties in Lahore and Karachi because of the anti-encroachment drive which has kept occupied.

The shopkeepers, however, argued that they paid temporary ground rent (TGR) to the Cantonment Board for their illegally- built structures. Some 4,000 shops had paid Rs8 million to the Cantonment Board under this head until June 2002.

But the officials said that the TGR agreement could be terminated on a 24-hour notice in case the land was required by the government.

Lately, the shopkeepers were asked by the board officials to pay composition tax on the terraces built over their shops at the rate of Rs650 per sq ft, and Rs300 per sq ft for a house.

Similarly, many small cabins were demolished and the authorities backtracked on the promise made with the cabin-owners that new cabins would be made for the affected traders.

Eight shops were demolished on the main Saddar Road and the owners were to deposit Rs8 million each if they wanted their shops back.

As they were not able to generate this amount they lost their businesses.

The shopkeepers have so far paid Rs10 million to Cantonment Board in composition tax, but some are reluctant to pay.

They said that Eid shopping, which usually proved a blessing for them, has not been so this year, because they had to pay millions of rupees in taxes to the Cantonment Board.