Brought down: Shopkeepers look around helplessly at the rubble that was once their shops. PHOTO: WASEEM NAZIR/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD: The Enforcement Directorate of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Wednesday demolished 200 sheds which had been built illegally in front of different shops and plazas of the Aabpara Market on Wednesday.
All moveable and immoveable encroachments established on the verandas and the footpaths of different plazas were also removed.
The CDA officials used heavy machinery to flatten 35 illegally constructed shops within the plazas of the market.
The gigantic operation began before dawn on Wednesday and continued till evening.
Anti-Encroachment Drive: 13 illegal kiosks removed
It was a continuation of CDA’s ongoing anti-encroachment drive which has been active in different localities of the city.
Wednesday’s operation was supervised by Enforcement director, while 200 personnel from the Enforcement Directorate, Islamabad Capital Administration (ICT), and Islamabad Police participated in it.
Islamabad Mayor and CDA Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz said that the Aabprara market was one of the oldest of the capital and an icon of the city, had been heavily encroached by vendors.
He said that they had received numerous complaints from the public regarding these encroachments in the market. However, none of the various anti-encroachment operations conducted by the directorate over the past three months had targeted it.
Realising that a well-planned and coordinated operation was required to completely eradicate encroachment and all illegal constructions in the area, directions for an operation were issued.
Moreover, Aziz said that they had taken elected representatives of respective union councils and the trader's associations on board for this operation.
While the CDA has been conducting anti-encroachment operations in the city for three months, they had yet to target major markets in key sectors until recently. Last week, the encroachment drive had moved to clean up markets in Sector F-6 and the Blue Area and now had focused on Aabpara.
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