Drive against encroachments finally afoot

Scores of residents protest as city government’s anti-encroachment drive kicks off.

LAHORE:

Scores of traffic jams were witnessed in parts of the city on Friday, as dozens of people were booked by authorities in an anti-encroachments drive.

Ichhra, Harbanspura and Ghaziabad residents protested against the demolition of encroachments and claimed that no notice was given to them before the drive was launched. Police officials assisted the city district government and arrested several people from different parts of the city. Traffic remained suspended and town municipal officers (TMOs) complained that traffic police did not assist them in the crackdown.

City District Government Lahore (CDGL) officials said that the anti-encroachment drive had brought together the City District Government and traders. “Several traders’ unions are assisting us in this drive,” an official said. In other parts of the city the operation against encroachments has met with resistance from shopowners but police officials controlled the situation.

Allama Iqbal Town TMO Muhammad Arif said that they conducted an operation on Yateem Khana Chowk, where the people cooperated with them. “There are no major built up encroachments in this area. We mostly removed ramps and sheds,” he said, adding that Yateem Khana Chowk had turned into a giant parking lot. “Town administration workers have had to assist with traffic control because the encroachment drive has caused many people to take to streets,” he said.

Aziz Bhatti Town TMO Shehzad Qureshi said that scores of people took to the streets in north Cantt protesting the drive.

He said that three people were arrested from Harbanspura and one man was arrested from Gaziabad for attacking police officials. “Traders protested by placing anti-government banners and chanted slogans against the PML-N government,” Qureshi said, adding “They said that a drive should be launched against the government, which was encroaching upon the people’s rights”. Qureshi said that the police initially declined to help them but eventually assisted them in the operation. “There is no fixed time line for this operation and we expect it to continue for the next three months,” he said. Qureshi said that in the initial phase of the anti-encroachment drive city government officials had covered the area from Shalimar interchange to Fatehgarh.

Samanabad TMO Imtiaz Awan said that a lot of people had put up resistance in his area. “Over 70 people gathered around and tried to force us to withdraw. We needed to call in more police contingents,” he said. Awan said that seven traders were arrested, while an FIR was given against 70 miscreants in the Ichhra police station. He said that the crowd resisted when they were tearing down an illegal construction on a 2.5 canal plot on Ferozpur Road.

Nishtar Town TMO Shehzad Qureshi said that the city district government was conducting the operation against encroachments indiscriminately. “This operation is a good example of cooperation between traders and the city district government,” he said. “The people were repeatedly informed about the campaign.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2011.