Illegal: Anti-encroachment drive begins

Encroachments from Raza Abad main bazaar removed

FAISALABAD: The city district government has launched an operation against encroachments in the city.

TMA staff supervised by the City assistant commissioner and Jinnah Town Administrator Bilawal Abro demolished encroachments in front of shops in Raza Abad main bazaar on Wednesday, City District Government spokesperson Abdul Hameed said.

He said that shopkeepers had been informed earlier and were issued notices directing them to remove encroachments voluntarily.

Encroachments in the Madina Chowk main bazaar, Jattanwala Chowk, Raja Chowk and main markets in Ghulam Muhammad Abad area have also been removed, the spokesperson said.

“We are going to continue this drive…in the next phase it will be extended to Jinnah Town.”

He said illegal constructions in bazaars there would be removed.

The city district administration has warned shopkeepers and others from rebuilding the encroachments. “We will take strict action against anyone caught setting up encroachments after they are removed,” Hameed said.

Traffic police collect fine

City Traffic Police Officer Sardar Asif said on Wednesday that since October 2014, they had collected Rs34.5 million as fines from 138,234 vehicles that had installed illegal and unspecified registration number plates. He said traffic police had also collected Rs150,000 in the last three years as fines from owners of 6,712 vehicles which had carried green number plates illegally.

He said all traffic sector in-charge officers had been issued directions by the chief traffic officer to speed up the campaign against vehicles carrying illegal number plates.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th,  2016.