Cantt residents seek action on encroachments
Continuous encroachments, mobile push carts and moving hawkers have created a mess in the main bazaars of the cantonment areas of Rawalpindi, resulting in traffic congestion and mental torture among residents.
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has planned a massive operation against the encroachers. Additional RCB CEO Haider Shuja informed that the anti-encroachment operation was among the regular activities of the Board which entails surprised raids by the concerned departments. "However, a comprehensive plan has been chalked out to redress the issue causing congestion in different areas", he said.
The areas including Tench Bhatta bazaar, Lal Kurti, People's Colony, Kamalabad and Mughalabad are facing severe issues which need better crowd management by the authorities.
Sharing their concerns, residents urged the RCB's encroachment personnel to visit main market areas randomly. "They (anti-encroachment personnel) visit and leave the bazaar with marginal actions against the encouragement", said Khalid Saeed of Tench Bhatta. He said that the anti-encroachment raids would produce results with a continuous follow-up strategy.
On the other hand, despite RCB's all-out efforts, multifaceted encroachment by the marketers, shopkeepers and hawkers remain the biggest hurdles in the flow of traffic as well as problematic for the residents.
"The business community itself promotes the encroachment and allows moveable stalls and hawkers to sell their products in front of shops", said Tariq Mahmood of Kamalabad. He blames the shopkeepers for taking money from moving vendors for placing their carts in front of their shops on the main roads.
The residents have demanded the RCB act against the concrete encroachment built by the shopkeepers and hotels for causing a mess for pedestrians. Misbah Tahir criticised the vendors saying, "They continuously move on main roads and stop wherever they want, resulting in traffic jams and they are also rude in response if someone asks them to keep a side". She noted that mismanaged rickshaws are also among the problem creators and traffic wardens are also not seen in these areas.
However, the RCB officials claim the Board is taking some concrete measures to redress these issues being faced by the people. When asked about how the anti-encroachment operation will be accelerated under the given resources, the additional CEO says a team has been formed to carefully keep an eye on the anti-encroachment teams so that result-oriented action could be taken.
"We shall also enhance the collaboration with allied departments like traffic police to improve the peaceful shipping environment in bazaars", he said.