RAWALPINDI, July 18: The city’s worst traffic jams during Ramazan are due to hawkers selling food items on road sides.

Ramazan begins on Saturday, and the vendors have already occupied footpaths, service roads and commercial markets. The district administration has yet to launch a campaign that will purge the city of encroachment.

Since most hotels remain closed during Ramazan and people prefer to dine at home with their families, restaurant owners set up cooking stands outside of their outlets to cook pakoras, samosa, jalebi and other items, ultimately occupying the footpaths.

The illegal encroachment of roads by hawkers and vendors takes a heavy toll on the smooth flow of traffic, leading to it taking hours for motorists and passengers to reach their destinations - particularly around Iftaar time.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zaffar acknowledged the menace of encroachment during the holy month and assured that he would order municipal authorities to launch an anti-encroachment campaign before Ramazan begins.

“We are over occupied with other Ramazan-related priorities that aim to facilitate those who will be fasting. Encroachment is a big issue that worsens in the month and creates hurdles for passersby and traffic. We will tackle it soon,” the DCO said.

Unlike cantonment limits where hawkers are issued licences to establish their stalls at specific areas, anyone can set up a stall on a road side anywhere in the city. Until a massive crackdown is launched, the vendors will continue their businesses.

The frequently visited Raja Bazaar, Commercial Market, Moti Bazaar, Banni Chowk, and even traffic arteries, have been swamped with vendors leading to traffic jams that create hurdles for shoppers to stroll freely.

With only three days remaining until Ramazan, vendors are illegally competing for key roadsides to set up their stalls, and with no authority to crack down on them.

“If you come first and establish a stall at a key place, then your business is good for the entire month. But, if you fail, another vendor will occupy the same spot,” Sher Dil, a vendor who belongs to Mohmand Agency told Dawn outside Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) – where he intends to sell traditional food items.

According to officials, the last anti-encroachment campaign in the city was launched nine months ago, and since then there has been no move on the administration’s part to discourage the illegal practice.

“Food items offered by vendors are mostly unhygienic and can cause many diseases like cholera, hepatitis, diphtheria and others. These diseases tend to be found mostly among the low-income class who purchase food from these vendors,” said Dr Tahir Ghaffar, a medical specialist.