HARIPUR, Nov 3: A rapid increase of kiosk and unchecked encroachment in the urban area of the district has made the roads and passages congested creating difficulties not only for the vehicular traffic but also the pedestrians.

Despite the fact that the citizens had long been demanding a grand operation against the ever increasing concrete as well as casual encroachments in the city limits, the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), Haripur, had allowed a number of kiosks at Raa-i-Ama street, general post office and hospital roads at a time when these areas witness extraordinary rush of shoppers during Ramazan.

It was also noticed that in spite of the directives of District Nazim Dr Raja Amer Zaman to the TMA to remove encroachments within seven days, the TMA hardly managed to clear the hospital and GT roads near the main gate of DHQ hospital of casual encroachers. But on the other hand, the tehsil Nazim, who had been at odds with the district Nazim for quite some time, interestingly allowed the fruit and vegetable vendors to take their pushcarts again into the main bazaar.

These pushcarts were earlier banned in the main bazaar by the same agency and a private security company was assigned the task of keeping the pushcarts away from the area on a contract of Rs21,000 per month.

At present the TMA had officially allowed about 52 kiosks of 4x6 to 4x8 feet space alongside the Raa-i-Ama street for Rs15, and 50 kiosks measuring 4x4 feet on GPO road for Rs10 per day rent while over 40, mainly Afghan refugees, were till Saturday occupying either sides of hospital road for Rs10 each with the “consent” of certain TMA’s employees daily.

An informed source told Dawn that there was hardly any account maintained of the amount collected from the kiosks on the hospital and GT roads.

Most of the kiosks allowed, according to the sources, were actually owned by the blue-eyed people of some of the Nazims and Naib Nazims who supported the tehsil Nazim in a recently defeated vote of no confidence against him.

It was observed that owing to mushroom growth of the casual encroachers on the roads, people visiting the markets were finding it difficult to pass through the heavily encroached areas where the unscrupulous elements make full gains of the situation teasing women shoppers repeatedly.

“Its very difficult to wade through swarms of male shoppers, as majority of them hardly let any chance of teasing the hapless women in these congested streets, go miss,” said a woman shopper, accusing the TMA for not clearing the city roads and streets of encroachers during the rush hours.

The city administrators had in the past launched a number of anti-encroachment operations and to an extent manage to reclaim the encroached upon space in main bazaar and Sharqi Circular road. But political influence and interests of certain elected representatives, members of local government and those of the employees of defunct municipal committee had always hindered such actions, allowing the shopkeepers and kiosks owners to make full gains of the weaknesses of those directly or otherwise linked to civic body of any bigwig of the area.

Meanwhile, the tehsil municipal officer could not be approached for comments.

PROFITEERS BOOKED: As many as 52 retailers were arrested for overcharging in various parts of the district on Sunday.