July 31, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 27, 1429

RAWALPINDI, July 30: District Coordination Officer (DCO) Jamal Mustafa Syed on Wednesday assured a traders’ delegation to organise police patrols to check the menace of encroachments at business centres.

His assurance came soon after a simmering cold war between the city's traffic police and municipal officers over the issue burst out in the open.

Before the delegation of Markazi Anjuman-i-Tajiran received the assurance from the DCO, Naib Nazim Chaudhry Farooq Azam of the Rawal Town Municipal Administration had issued an angry rebuttal to Chief Traffic Officer Raja Riffat Mukhtar's charge overnight that the municipal administration had been promoting encroachments.

"It is the joint responsibility of the Baldia (municipality) and the police to remove encroachments," Mr Azam said in a statement, disclosing that police department had withdrawn its personnel from Rawal Town, causing difficulties in maintaining law and order in municipal areas.

Without the support of police, traders’ bodies and the public, the issue of encroachment could not be resolved, he added.

The naib nazim described the statement of the SSP Traffic that big commercial plazas were causing traffic congestion as a joke, saying that plazas existed in many large cities and were not a source of hurdles in the flow of traffic.

Whether the officials of Rawal and Potohar towns accept it or not, the commercial areas of the city are full of encroachments. The way encroachers have occupied footpaths and roads with carts and stalls shows the anti-encroachment staff of these local bodies remain ineffective in eliminating encroachments.

There are around 30 bazaars in and around Fawwara Chowk in the city where encroachments are booming and causing difficulties not only to traffic but also pedestrians.

The president of traders' association, Shahid Ghafoor Paracha, admitted that encroachment was also affecting the business of shopkeepers. He said the TMA staff blocked encroachments during the day time; adding that as soon as the TMA staff returned, encroachers reappeared on roads causing traffic jams. He called upon the Punjab government to revive the project of constructing a parking plaza at Fawwara Chowk.

Meanwhile, DCO Jamal Mustafa Syed sought the cooperation of the business community in keeping the drains in the city clean for the smooth flow of sewage, particularly in the rainy season.

He appealed to the traders to discourage those who threw garbage and other material in drains. The DCO said drains in the city were being cleaned, and hoped the results would be encouraging.

The traders’ delegation, led by Sharjeel Mir, drew Mr Syed’s attention towards the financial losses caused by the recent flooding in the city due to heavy monsoon rains.

The delegation urged the DCO to take measures to repair various roads of the city which were damaged in the monsoon rains. Repair of Asghar Mall Chowk, Banni Chowk, Imambara Chowk and Dingi Khui Chowk is much needed not only for smooth movement of vehicular traffic but also for the people living around the area.