RAWALPINDI: The district administration on Wednesday cleared encroachments from six major bazaars in the garrison city, sealed 11 shops and demolished sheds in the commercial area to facilitate shoppers as well as to maintain smooth flow of traffic.

The team led by Assistant Commissioner City Hakim Khan cleared Iqbal Road, Bara Bazaar, Talwara Bazaar, Bohar Bazaar, Sabzi Mandi and Mochi Bazaar from all kinds of encroachments.

Visitors and shoppers appreciated the move of the district administration as they walked freely in the commercial centres while the traffic’s flow was also smooth. They said it was difficult to navigate the roads due to encroachments in the main bazaars of the garrison city, making shopping here an arduous task.

“Now, it is the duty of the civic bodies to maintain the bazaars and main markets’ roads like this. If the vendors and shopkeepers manage to encroach the roads and footpaths again then all this effort will go to waste,” said Mohammad Kamran, a visitor in Bara bazaar.

Admin seals 11 shops, demolishes sheds in latest drive; Moti Bazaar action today

Ahmed Nadeem, a visitor in Bohar Bazaar, said that it was difficult for the people to use the road but it was a different story after the drive. “These are vast roads for two- and four- wheelers and footpaths are also sufficient for pedestrians, but due to encroachments, it had become difficult to use them,” he said.

Sajid Hussain, a resident of Naya Mohallah, said accessing their neighbourhood had become easier after Bara Bazaar and Iqbal Road were cleared from encroachments. It took half an hour to reach Committee Chowk on Murree Road from their mohallah (neighbourhood).

On the other hand, the district administration on Wednesday sealed 11 shops and razed sheds built in front of shops. “We had already issued the notices to shopkeepers to demolish their sheds in front of their shops exceeding three feet. Most people removed them while the rest were razed by the district administration,” AC Hakim Khan said.

He said stern action would be taken against the vendors and shopkeepers if they displayed goods by the roadside again.

He told Dawn that the administration after a survey marked the “line” and asked the shopkeepers not to increase the limits of their shops to avoid consequences. He said that as per the land record available, the administration would not allow the shopkeepers to go beyond the limit.

Admitting that the shopkeepers and vendors encroached on the roads in the main bazaars, he said that the administration started the operation in downtown to facilitate the public. He said the building inspectors of the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation would take action in case of any encroachment in the coming days.

He said the administration would implement a ‘uniform’ pattern for shops’ signboards to beautify the city and discourage haphazard boards. The roads in these bazaars were wide enough to cater to the traffic, he said.

He said that the district administration made a plan to make these roads green by planting trees on roadsides to curtail air pollution. He said an operation would also be launched in Moti Bazaar’s inner streets on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2024