RAWALPINDI: The district administration will make five permanent desks functional in main markets of the garrison city to check encroachments and remove them from Monday (today).

Talking to Dawn, Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema said the provincial government had ordered removal of all encroachments from main bazaars and roads for the smooth flow of traffic and easy way for pedestrians and there would zero tolerance in this regard.

He said from Monday five desks would be functional at Raja Bazaar, Commercial Market, Sadiqabad, Murree Road and Pirwadhai. He said Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation staff had been deputed there who would be assisted by the local and traffic police on the directives of the Punjab government.

“Assistant Commissioner City Hakim Khan will monitor these desks on a daily basis and action will be taken against officials deputed there if any encroachment was found in their respective areas.”

The DC said permanent desks had been established in the bazaars because the district administration removed encroachments in the last five months but carts and stallholders made a comeback soon after the end of the anti-encroachment drive.

“Now the staff will remain present there permanently to check the encroachments. The district administration will take departmental action against the officials if they showed negligence.”

He said District Council and Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards officials would help the assistant commissioner cantonment to remove encroachments.

Shopkeepers have been warned to remove encroachments from footpaths and roadsides voluntarily otherwise strict action would be taken against them.

“We will raze all permanent and temporary encroachments without any discrimination for the convenience of road users,” the DC said.

The district administration has already directed traders’ associations across the garrison city and all tehsils to remove encroachments.

He said assistant commissioners had launched surveys of their respective areas and a report on these would be made within a few days.

“In the survey, building lines will be drawn in markets and bazaars as per the revenue record and all encroached structures would be razed without any delay as there would be no need for issuing notices to illegal structures,” he said.

Purana Qila and Moti Bazaar will be made model bazaars and in this regard work has been started to improve signboards of the shops. He said the same pattern would be adopted in other markets and bazaars.

He said the issue of traffic congestion in the downtown areas was due to permanent and temporary encroachments. “We would improve the city bazaars and make the roads free of rush.”

Apart from this, Mr Cheema said that during a drive encroachments were removed from different union councils, especially Lahore High Court Road and District Council.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2025