LAHORE, March 6: Describing massive encroachments as the major civic problem of Lahore, the District Council on Saturday called upon the District Nazim to take steps for ridding the city of the menace.

The council through a unanimous resolution adopted at its meeting held here with District Naib Nazim Farooq Amjad Mir in chair lamented the miserable failure of the town administrations in dealing with the encroachments problem and asked the District Nazim to tackle the problem in a suitable manner.

Winding up the discussion on the issue the District Naib Nazim said the District Nazim should attend to the problem under the Lahore High Court directive on the subject as pointed out by the councillors. He should devise a plan for dealing with the problem in consultation with the District Advisory Committee in case the court directive was not there.

Hamid Khan said the house had called upon the Town Nazims to fulfil their responsibilities in respect of the removal of the encroachments through a resolution, but they had miserably failed to tackle the serious problem. The towns staff was patronizing encroachments for monetary considerations instead. The problem should now be dealt by the District Nazim.

He said that the Parks and Horticulture Authority was also playing havoc to the beauty of the city by authorizing installation of monstrous hoardings carrying the portraits of women which often distracted the motorists and caused accidents. A suitable size of hoardings required to be prescribed instead of allowing the PHA to get the city landscape ruined for monetary gains.

Naveed Sadiq said the District Nazim need not consult anyone for removal of encroachments because the LHC had issued direct orders to him in this regard. He said that councillors should also vow not to prevent removal of encroachments so that the problem could be dealt with effectively.

Bashir Ahmed Butt said that shopkeepers had not only encroached on spaces outside their shops but had also sublet the footpaths to vendors and were sharing the rent with the towns staff responsible for the removal of encroachments.

Mian Iftikhar Akram said that the encroachments had become a matter of shame for Lahorites. Shoaib Khan Niazi said that the encroachments problem was not limited to the shopping centres alone but had spread to all localities.

Inayatullah Khan sought the removal of publicity stands placed by the shopkeepers outside their shops as these obstructed the movement of the pedestrians.

Naseer Daniel said that the campaign for removal of encroachments should be similar to the one launched by former Lord Mayor Mian Muhammad Azhar.

Malik Usman Saleem sought action against the magicians and spiritual healers extorting money from the people on the pretext of solving all their problems. He said the people should be protected against the machinations of the swindlers by invoking the provisions of the relevant laws.

Health Sub-Committee Vice-Chairman Mian Fayyaz Ahmed sought protection for the Food Squad being threatened of dire consequences by food adulterators for launching a campaign against the menace. A Chief Food Inspector had been hit by a van and injured. He said that magistrates were imposing nominal fines on the adulterators instead of awarding punishments prescribed under the law.

The councillors did not agree with the proposal of Rana Azhar Abbas that food samples should be collected only from the manufacturers and wholesalers. They said that there was no justification for exempting the retailers from collection of food samples. They said that the retailers knew which foodstuffs were adulterated or substandard. They should not sell such foodstuffs.

Mian Muhammad Iftikhar said that the Union Council Nazims had been authorized to issue death and birth certificates for a period of 20 years. Certificates for births and deaths having taken place more than 20 years back were issued with the consent of the Deputy District Officers after following a cumbersome procedure. The UC Nazims should be authorized to issue certificates for death and births which had taken place more than 20 years ago for public convenience.

Farooq Amjad Mir said that the UC Nazims should be careful about demanding the powers to issue certificates of death beyond 20 years as it might land half of them into jail as such certificates were also procured for grabbing property.

The house approved the proposals for creation of posts for the model drug addicts rehabilitation centres and the City District Government Darul Aman with the directions that appointments against the same be made strictly on merit.

The house allowed the Lahore Development Authority to charge fee for the issuance of no objection certificates for mortgage of plots and houses measuring above five marla.

Naveed Sadiq demanded that the new proposal in respect of imposition of Road User Charge should be presented before the district council. Rahim Gul Shad supported the demand.

Executive District Officer (Community Development) Zahid Aziz Khan briefed the house on the procedure for constitution and registration of the Citizens Community Boards.

The district council proceedings commenced with the condemnation of the acts of terrorism at Quetta and Phalia and offering of prayers for the victims.

District Naib Nazim adjourned the house when a member pointed out that it was not in quorum when Malik Muhammad Ilyas was trying to raise the issue of public safety commissions.

Naveed Sadiq and some other members protested against the adjournment of the house without adopting a resolution to condemn the treatment being meted out to Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan. They said that they were not allowed to move the resolution at the commencement of the proceedings.