RAWALPINDI: Despite tall claims made by the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC), encroachments on footpaths and roads in the downtown area could not be removed showing the poor performance of the civic body.

Due to the indifferent attitude of the civic agency, shoppers and residents are facing problems. Unchecked encroachments on footpaths by shopkeepers and vendors in the city’s main bazaars are also hindering smooth flow of traffic.

Vendors have established stalls on footpaths and roads in almost all markets such as Raja Bazaar, Bara Market, Iqbal Road, Namakmandi, Ganjammandi, Mochi Bazaar, Bohar Bazaar, College Road, Gowalmandi Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni Chowk and adjoining bazaars.

During a visit to these bazaars, one finds it difficult to move on. It is a Herculean task to visit the bazaars on foot, in a car and even on a bike.

The residents of the adjoining localities complained that encroachments by shopkeepers and vendors were causing problems for them. Traffic jams have also become a regular phenomenon due to the encroachments.

Mohammad Fayyaz, a resident of Usmanpura, said they had to park their vehicles on Liaquat Road in the evening as it was difficult to pass the area from Fawara Chowk to Imperial Market in the evening.

Daniyal Ahmed, a visitor to Bara Market, said there was no space on the road connecting Liaquat Bagh to Iqbal Road as vendors have established their stalls there.

Raja Muzamil, a shopkeeper at Trunk Bazaar, said they have not encroached on footpaths but vendors have put their stalls there. He said shopkeepers just put some of their products in front of their shops to protect it against the vendors.

Another shopkeeper, Malik Ibrar, said there was a dire need to make the bazaar a pedestrian street so vendors could be stopped from encroaching on footpaths. He said the RMC rarely took action against the vendors.

An RMC official requesting anonymity said traders in Raja Bazaar, Bara Bazaar and adjoining markets had encroached on footpaths and due to their political affiliation the civic body failed to clear the areas.

He said whenever the RMC started action the ruling party leaders stopped them. He said last year a drone camera had been bought to check encroachments but it was not used.

RMC regulation officer Tauseef Malik told Dawn that the RMC was striving hard to remove encroachments in the bazaars. He said ensuring smooth flow of traffic was the responsibility of the traffic police. The traffic police can stop wrong parking in the bazaars.

He said the TMA had removed encroachments made by shopkeepers and vendors several times but they returned.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2021