Rawalpindi goes after encroachers

City divided into two sectors and 13 clusters, each with designated heads

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema has launched a comprehensive, Grand Operation Clean-up, to eliminate all forms of encroachments across the city on a daily basis.

The city has been divided into two sectors and 13 clusters, each with designated heads and necessary resources, including traffic police, local police, cranes, trucks, shovels, and labourers. The teams are instructed to take swift action against illegal encroachments and parking, bulldoze unpaved areas, clean footpaths, and remove unauthorised parking.

Illegally parked vehicles will face fines ranging from Rs2,000 to Rs5,000, while hawkers and shopkeepers who resist will face arrest, fines, and even imprisonment. Car and motorcycle bazaars, particularly on Fridays, will be a key focus.

For the first time, Tehsildars, Deputy Tehsildars, and District Civil Defense Officers have been granted magistrate powers to enforce encroachment operations. Anti-encroachment teams will work from 10am to 10pm daily, and leaves for all team members have been cancelled to ensure full compliance.

The assistant commissioner city will be in charge of Sector-1, while the District Council's Chief Officer will oversee Sector-2. Sector-1 will consist of 10 clusters, and Sector-2 will have three clusters.

Assistant Commissioner Saima Nazir has been appointed as the in-charge of Cluster Bara Bazar of City sector-1, Tehsildar City Zafar Abbas will oversee the Fawara Chowk cluster, Naib Tehsildar Asifa Karan will manage Raja Baazar cluster, Namak wholesale market cluster will be headed by Saqib Rehan, Naib Tehsildar Mansoor Mirza will be responsible for the Liaquat Bagh to Fawara Chowk cluster, Naib Tehsildar, Qamarul Haq Naqib will head Fawara Chowk cluster to Iqbal Road Committee Chowk, Tehsildar Babar Islam will manage the Committee Chowk cluster from Murree Road to Murir Chowk, Naib Tehsildar Natasha Safeer will oversee the Murree Road Committee Chowk to Faizabad cluster, Naib Tehsildar Aftab Ashraf has been appointed as the in-charge of the Commercial Market, Fifth Road to Sixth Road Satellite Town cluster, District Officer Civil Defense Talib Hussain will oversee the Satellite Town cluster.