BAHAWALPUR: The Municipal Corporation (MC) Bahawalpur and housing and urban development department continued the joint anti-encroachment operation in areas of the city, including Satellite Town, Bihari Colony, Model Town B and bazaars, on Tuesday.

According to Municipal Chief Officer (MCO) Mian Azhar Javed, thousands of encroachments, illegal structures and unauthorised constructions, including illegal boundary walls, gates, garages and servant quarters, in addition to ramps and slopes were demolished with heavy machinery. Several bazaars were cleared of the illegal extensions of shops set up the shopkeepers and traders.

On the other hand, the rubble of the demolished illegal structures of the houses and shops is littered the roads and streets. This broken bricks, damaged iron, timbre structures and other such material left behind by the authorities is yet to be lifted from roads and streets. Thousands of residents are engaged in hiring private tractor-trolleys on their own to lift and remove the rubble and waste in front of their houses and streets.

Commissioner Musarrat Jabeen, accompanied by Chief Municipal Officer Mian Azhar Javed, inspected the anti-encroachments operation in several areas of Satellite Town and Model Town B and expressed satisfaction with the demolition of illegal structures along the roads. Ms Jabeen announced to continue the anti-encroachment operation till the last illegal structure in any part of the city.

People, on their own, are disposing of construction material from bazaars, streets

Deputy Commissioner Dr Farhan Farooq said that after clearance of the streets and bazaars of encroachments, tuff tiles would be installed by the administration on the spaces retrieved by the administration to beautify the localities.

He said greenbelts with plantation of flowers were being constructed along the roads and the parks and horticulture authority (PHA) had been assigned the task.

It may be recalled that with the removal of encroachments, the bazaars and streets now look wide as illegal extensions of shops’ slabs and slopes had narrowed them, causing problems for the shoppers, particularly the women and children.

The commissioner and deputy commissioner inspected the Ramazan Sahulat stalls in the Ramazan Bazaar and warned the traders against overcharging.

ARRESTED: Chehlak police of Multan registered a harassment case against a man on charge of harassing a college student.

The girl, S, complained to the police that Adnan would tease her by frequent telephone calls and intercepting her on her way to college. The police registered a case and arrested the suspect.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2025