Abid Market: ‘Go deal with the land mafia first'

Traders halt anti-encroachment drive, warn of indefinite strike.

LAHORE:

Abid Market traders on Hall Road have thwarted the anti-encroachment drive by the City District Government of Lahore (CDGL), scheduled to begin on July 2.

The traders closed their shops and protested against the Data Ganj Baksh Town (DGBT) administration by burning tyres after the officials tried to remove encroachments on corridors in front of the shops.

The traders also warned the administration of further protests if they started the drive.

On Saturday, the DGBT officials had ordered clearing of the 10-foot corridors in front of the shops that are used to display products and park vehicles.

The traders claimed that according to the official record, the corridors were part of the shops. The administration, however, rejected the record calling it bogus.

Ali Abbas Bukhari, the DGBT town municipal officer (TMO), suspended the drive for a day and told the traders to meet the district coordination officer (DCO) and the assistant commissioner (AC) to resolve the issue.

A meeting was arranged with AC Amina Munir, on Saturday.  She said that a committee was constituted to look into the matter. “One thing is clear.

The shopkeepers have violated the building by-laws. But we cannot take further action before a report is received from the committee,” she said.

She said if the registries produced by the traders in support of their claims were found to be bogus, strict action will be taken against them.

“We will use force if required, no matter how influential they might be,” she added.

Though the operation has been pending since Saturday’s protest, Bukhari claims it will resume in a couple of days. The Revenue Department was examining the registries, he said.

Mian Tariq Feroze, the Abid Market Anjum-i-Tajran president, told The Express Tribune that the traders had the registries showing the corridors in front of the shops were part of the property. “The corridors belong to shop owners. They can use them the way they want,” he said.

Feroze said that the traders were scheduled to meet the DCO, but had met with the AC instead. “She surveyed the area with us and has referred the matter to the Revenue Department.”

He said that the CDGL should take its campaign to the Walled City that was the ‘hub’ of encroachments. “Instead of removing land mafias, the administration has been targeting poor shop owners,” he said.

He warned of an indefinite strike at the market if the administration continued the drive. “We are also in contact with the leaders of other associations,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2011.