RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) stopped its operation against an illegal checkpost of the traffic police in front of Punjab House, on Rashid Minhas Road near Civil Lines, after the local police refused to take action against the traffic police.

After declaring the checkpost illegal, an RDA team went to raze down the structure under the supervision of Director Land Anwar Baran, but the Civil Lines police refused to help tear down the traffic police checkpost.

The RDA team then postponed the operation and turned back. The team informed the RDA chairman and director general of the situation and they decided to give the team some time.

A senior RDA official told Dawn that the civic body had formed a team to tear down illegal structures in and around Civil Lines. He said notices had been served to those who had illegally constructed buildings, including residents and the traffic police, but no response was received.

Civic agency has now given traffic police 48 hours to vacate check post

He said the Civil Lines station had been requested to provide the RDA team with backup. He said the police backup arrived late and the team went to conduct the operation in the afternoon.

“The policemen refused to take action against the traffic police and called the Civil Lines station house officer (SHO) to stop the operation,” he said.

Civil Lines SHO Abdul Aziz said the police had refused to help in action because the traffic police had installed a wireless system in the post and kept a record of the tickets issued.

“The police refused to help tear down such a sensitive checkpost,” he said.

He added that the police had offered its services for taking down all illegal structures but would have needed permission from senior officers to tear down the traffic police’s structure.

RDA Chairman Arif Abbasi said the law applies to all and that all illegal structures will be demolished, including those constructed by the police or traffic police.

He said that after the refusal of the local police, RDA has decided to give the traffic police 48 hours to move its office into a legal building and vacate the illegal structure.

He said a letter has been sent to the city traffic officer and the city police officer to apprise them of the situation along with the instructions of the provincial government for removing all illegal structures without discrimination.

Other encroachers were also given 48-hours to move.

“Notices will be served Wednesday morning and action will be taken on Friday,” he said.

Meanwhile, RDA’s Land Use and Building Control Wing conducted an operation against illegal commercial buildings and sealed 100 properties including shops, timber warehouses and show rooms in Mouza Kotha Kalan on High Court Road on the directions of RDA Director General Hayat Lakhas.

Owners of these properties illegally constructed commercial buildings without approval and without a no-objection certificate in violation of the Punjab Development of Cities Act 1976 and RDA Building and Zoning Regulations, 2007.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2018