BAJAUR: Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) Khar authorities on Sunday removed several unauthorised shops, fruits and vegetables stalls and cafes at Inayat Kallay bazaar, the second major trade centre of the district, during the much awaited anti-encroachment drive.

The anti-encroachment campaign was launched under the joint supervision of senior officials of the district administration and TMA, after the vendors had failed to remove their illegal structures despite issuance of notices in this regard, said a statement.

It stated that the TMA and district authorities had asked the leadership of the traders union to convince the shopkeepers to abolish their unlawful structures voluntarily but they didn’t pay heed to administration’s warnings.

The statement issued from the deputy commissioner’s office, said that during the action, TMA officials had razed a number of unlawful temporary shops, fruits and vegetables stalls and tea cafes established along both sides of the roads across the bazaar.

It said that the belongings of the illegal shops, stalls and cafes were also seized in the operation and shifted to the TMA office. Scores of billboards of vendors, illegally installed on both sides of the roads were also removed and confiscated.

It mentioned that the officials warned the vendors to avoid erecting such illegal structures in bazaar in future to prevent the legal action against them under the Local Government Act, 2013.

The statement expressed the hope that the anti-encroachment drive would restore the smooth flow of traffic and movement of pedestrians in the bazaar.

Meanwhile, the leaders of trade association and the vendors expressed their great anger over the action and termed it totally unjustified and a great injustice to poor traders.

Published in Dawn, October 21th, 2024