RAWALPINDI: Illegal construction activities in the cantonment’s thickly-populated areas have created traffic mess as the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has turned a blind eye to the issue.

Parking space in Saddar, the main commercial hub of the cantonment areas, and other markets is squeezing with each passing day as building by-laws are being ignored.

Under the law, plazas have to allocate space for parking but buildings have been constructed without proper parking space, forcing visitors to park cars on roadsides which creates traffic rush on main roads.

A senior RCB official told Dawn that in residential areas people had constructed houses violating the by-laws. Under the law, he said, only two-storey houses were allowed in a street with the width of less than 16 feet, but citizens have constructed three-storey houses in such localities.

He said in the past the building control branch conducted a survey after every six months but in the last six months no such survey was carried out to check building by-law violations.

He said in the monsoon season, a survey was conducted and action was taken to raze illegal constructions along nullahs and drains but the action was stopped soon after the end of rainy season.

“Residential properties are also being used for commercial purposes but no action has been taken by the civic body,” the RCB official said.

He said some political parties had opened secretariats on Peshawar Road without getting permission from the civic body.

When contacted, Rawalpindi Cantonment Traders Association Secretary General Zafar Qadri said the cantonment board collected property tax and other fees fromthem but failed to provide them facilities.

He said illegal construction increased in residential areas as people built three to four-storey houses without permission, adding that the traders’ association would help the civic body implement the building by-laws but it was not interested.

Despite repeated attempts, Rawalpindi Cantonment Executive Officer Imran Gulzar was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2023