Commuters’ woes: LHC gives a week for removal of encroachments

Directs officials to clear the city and submit a compliance report

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Thursday directed city and cantonment administrations to remove all encroachments and blockades from markets and roads in a week and submit compliance report by December 17.

Justice Ibadur Rehman Lodhi expressed his annoyance over widespread encroachments in markets and blockades of city roads. He was also unhappy with the authorities for their inefficiency in removing them.

Hearing a petition filed by Anwar Dar, a local lawyer, Justice Lodhi took serious notice of District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zaffar Daal’s absence from court.

Responding to the court’s query, Executive District Officer (EDO) Municipal Services Imran Ali Chaudhry said that the DCO had already directed all authorities to carry out their duties and remove encroachments from market areas and roads.

Justice Lodhi observed that the DCO had been posted in Rawalpindi for last two years and seemed to have done nothing for removal of encroachments.

The court also directed the DCO, administrators of Rawal and Potohar towns, and executive officers of Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments to submit detailed reports on next date of hearing about their efforts to remove encroachments and cleaning of 105 water channels in the city.

The court also hinted at forming a commission which would be tasked to visit different areas of the city and would file a report about the efforts of the district administration to clear the encroachments.

The petitioner has prayed the court to direct the civic bodies to remove encroachments and clean over 100 nullahs in the district.

Advocate Dar had argued before that court that the district administration and the cantonment authorities have failed to remove encroachments from major roads of the city.

He said that the security agencies had also closed many roads owing to security concerns.

The petitioner said that he and other residents of the city had to suffer mentally and physically owning to the encroachments and blockades. He claimed that there was ‘’a strong perception’’ that the encroachers had occupied different roads and markets ‘’in connivance with’’ the concerned authorities.

The petitioner said that encroachments had led to massive traffic jams adding to the woes of commuters. He added that areas like Tench Bhatta, Dehri Hassanabad in cantonment areas and Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market in the city were prime examples of widespread encroachments.

Dar has prayed to the court to direct the authorities to remove the encroachments and clear the roads.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2015.