HARIPUR, May 10: The tehsil municipal administration has suspended its anti-encroachment drive, succumbing to pressure from influential figures, sources told Dawn on Sunday. The TMA had announced two months ago that it would "clear the city of encroachment."

The tehsil officials surveyed the encroached areas in the city. The administration declared that 79 private shops 88 on TMA's property in Mochi Bazaar, Loharan Bazaar, Sain Sehaili Road and Rehmania Road had encroachment of seven to 14 feet for the last several years.

The TMA cancelled the agreements of its 88 tenants, removed sunshades and pushcarts from the Rai-i-Ama Toad and the GPO Road and served notices on shop owners, exhorting them to voluntarily demolish encroachment.

The administration demolished the encroached portions of its own shops and made two or three owners do so but the operation was confined toMochi Bazaar. Encroachment even on municipal administration's property by some influential people was spared.

They were just asked to clear the government property voluntarily. According some senior citizens, most encroachments were made during the last 20 years in connivance with the defunct municipal corporation's staff.