Road encroachments block traffic

A casual stroll outside a commercial or residential complex in any developed country would have one notice the visibly clear and clean roads, which are void of cars and are open to pedestrian activity however, for locals in the cultural capital living around choked business centres, driving let alone walking, is an arduous affair.

Despite flaunting a well-developed infrastructure network in comparison to other cities, Lahore’s roads are brimming with crammed cars stuck in endless gridlocks due largely to the high pervasiveness of parking encroachments and roadside illegal food business activity outside popular wholesale commercial centres including Hall road, Abid Market, Anarkali Bazaar, Ichra Market, Mozang Bazar, Moon Bazaar, Raiwind road, Model Town Link Road, Wapda Town, and various shopping districts in Johar Town among many others. Locals attribute these encroachments to the complicity of the city administration and the facilitation of the shopkeepers who allow small business vendors to set up their stalls outside their shops in exchange for a daily or monthly rent.

“Service roads and footpaths are built for the convenience of pedestrians or lightweight vehicles like motorbikes so that people can easily shop at the commercial centres.

However, it is unfortunate that service road encroachments can be found across most business centres in Lahore, but the district officials pay no heed to them,” exclaimed Hafiz Ahmed, a regular commuter.

In his response to the criticism levied by citizens, a senior official from the district administration, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the involvement of political actors within the government institutions was the main hurdle blocking the administration’s attempts to rid the city of the menace of roadside encroachments.

“Moreover, shopkeepers and trade organisations of various markets are also supporting the encroachers by allowing them to sell fruits, vegetables and street food outside their shops in exchange for a daily rent worth Rs100 to Rs500.

Apart from this, the existence of several motorcycle stands outside the House of Justice adjacent to the Civil Secretariat is the biggest example of the failure of policing,” said the official, who went on to add that the presence of snitches within the district administration allowed the details of anti-encroachment drives to be leaked in advance with the market stakeholders, preventing any serious action from being taken against them.

Sources support the official’s revelations as they report a high prevalence of bribery and political allegiances within the anti-encroachment initiatives, which destabilise the efficacy of the concerned government departments making them fall prey to political pressures soon after the campaigns are initiated.

Other sources, however, are of the opinion that road encroachments are not the only reason behind the incessant gridlocks outside commercial centres in Lahore since a paucity of parking plazas has also advanced the problem.

“Parking plazas should be built around big markets so that people do not park their cars on the service roads,” asserted Babar Butt, leader of Anjuman-e-Tajran, who claimed that he tried his very best to discourage parking and kiosk setups outside the Hall Road Market.

“The anti-encroachment wing works under the supervision of the concerned Assistant Commissioners and the zonal officers of the Metropolitan Corporation, Traffic Police and Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC),” said Khalid Dhab, a retired government official.

Speaking to The Express Tribune on the matter, an official from the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) said, ‘’service roads and footpaths are an integral part of the road infrastructure and ensuring pedestrian convenience and safety is TEPA’s top priority.

We will ensure the construction and availability of purpose-made space for pedestrians by removing all temporary and semi-permanent road encroachments.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2023.