Encroachments clutter Rawalpindi markets

Illegal stalls & handcarts block sidewalks & roads; cause severe traffic congestion

RAWALPINDI:

With the persistent sluggish response of authorities to strike the encroachment mafia, the situation in the major bazaars of Rawalpindi continues to worsen, making the lives of residents and commuters difficult.

A majority of pavements and footpaths as well as main roads are often seen flooded with vendors, stalls and carts, leaving no room for buyers and shoppers to easily approach their desired shops and outlets.

Although encroachments aren't new to the city but have escalated dramatically to every nook and corner of the city with busy marketplaces like Murree Road, Raja Bazaar, Motti Bazaar, Kashmiri Bazaar and surrounding markets like Jamia Masjid Road, Banni Chowk and Circular Road; Saddar and Chotta Bazaar, Commercial Market, Tench Bhatta, Lal Kurti, Bakra Mandi, Adiala Road and several other markets remaining clogged with vendors crowding sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk on roads.

The stalls, kiosks, handcarts and makeshift setups spring up overnight, swallowing footpaths, sidewalks, streets and roads. In almost all main bazaars of the city, the groups of organised individuals and businesses in collusion with the officials of civic bodies have illegally occupied the public spaces which were once used by pedestrians.

"The encroachers have become a mafia. Their mushroom growth is perplexing. Although in many cases, the shopkeepers themselves rent them out footpath spaces and charge from them," said Munir Ahmed, a shopkeeper in the Commercial Market. "In other cases, they set up their businesses on vacant places, footpaths and corridors in connivance with civic authorities."

He termed the rapid growth of encroachers as worrisome, affecting their business as well as mobility of shoppers and desired a mechanism to streamline vendors abruptly occupying main spaces at markets.

"The authorities clear encroachments, but they come back within a week. It seems like a joint venture," said another shopkeeper Ahmed Ali in Motti Bazaar.

The rise of the encroachment mafia is not simply the work of a few street vendors but a well-organised network involving influential figures who turn a deaf ear to calls of shopkeepers and buyers, apparently for some financial gain. "The encroachment mafia had created a hidden 'rent system' for receiving illegal money from vendors for occupying public spaces at markets," claimed a school teacher Muhammad Arif. "This informal system of bribery and collusion brings hardships for city residents, making it difficult for them to traverse through these clogged markets and roads." For pedestrians, especially for families, elderly and children, he said, it becomes risky to navigate through streets and roads narrowed due to encroachments and subsequent traffic jams.

Efforts by the Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) and two cantonment boards to remove these encroachments have had limited success. Demolition teams clear illegal structures but within days the vendors return. The local administration removed a significant number of encroachments from Raja Bazaar, Bara Bazaar, Commercial Market, Murree Road and surrounding areas during the first week of the current month, but the same cropped up again.

Amidst claims and complaints of shopkeepers and buyers, an MCR spokesman claims that strict action is taken against encroachers on a regular basis with the imposition of heavy fines and confiscation of their goods.

A grand anti-encroachment operation is underway targeting high-traffic areas like Murree Road, Raja Bazaar, Fawara Chowk, Commercial Market and other areas, he adds.

The spokesman claims that both sides of Commercial Market and Murree Road have been cleared of both illegal temporary and permanent encroachments. Dozens of truckload goods were confiscated during operation, FIRs were lodged against encroachers and several shops were sealed," he added.

Side by side with the encroachment drive of municipal authorities, the City Traffic Police has also stepped up efforts to clear areas from encroachers. City Traffic Officer (CTO) Rawalpindi Beenish Fatima has instructed traffic wardens for strict action against encroachments to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

Similarly, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board officials are also on their toes to fight out this menace and bring respite to residents and consumers.