The Mall: ‘Do not encourage disruptive protests’

DCO, CTO ask media to support ban on protests at city centre.

LAHORE:

The district coordination officer (DCO) and the city traffic officer (CTO) said on Tuesday if media stopped reporting protest demonstration on The Mall, the protesters might be discouraged to take out rallies on the road.

The officers held a joint press conference on Tuesday to ask the media to ignore protests and rallies on The Mall to help make it a protest-free zone.DCO Ahad Khan Cheema said that one of the most disturbing issues concerning public administration and safety was the protests that affected business activities and traffic.

Cheema said that a number of protests were held during Punjab Assembly sessions that created problems for commuters and businesses.

“The road has several colleges, universities, government offices and courts. Blocking this road means affecting a lot of traffic.”

The DCO said that Nasser Bagh and Minto Park had now been proposed for the purpose and the protesters promised government attention and media coverage.

CTO Syed Ahmad Mobin also spoke about protests on Ferozepur Road and other major traffic arteries in the city. “A group of people, mostly for their personal interests, disrupt the traffic flow on these roads and cause inconvenience to others,” he said. He said that sometimes reporters too blocked sections of these roads by parking their vehicles.

Answering a question about blocking The Mall for VIP movement, the CTO said that traffic was stopped only for Blue Book VVIPs. “This is not in our choice. We only enforce laws,” he said.

Naeem Mir, the Mall Road Traders Association president, said that the traders had been long seeking a ban on all sorts of protest camps on The Mall. He said that businesses had greatly suffered due to these protests as their customers now preferred to visit other markets.

The value of their properties had also dropped due to these protests, he said.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2011.