Encroachers face the heat

Once known for its grandeur and vastness, the Rawalpindi city is presently encountering a challenge of illegal encroachments, making it a congested and crowded metropolis.

Conversion of small bazaars into mega markets nesting huge shopping plazas has increased the number of illegal encroachments and now, not only main bazaars, but adjacent streets have also become congested.

The practice is propagated by shopkeepers, vendors and the municipal authorities as soon after any action against encroachers is taken, the encroachments appear again.

Assistant Commissioner (City) Dr Eman Zaffar claims the issue rests with the shopkeepers and the administration has adopted a multipronged strategy to combat this menace. "Conversion of thickly populated historic Raja Bazaar into a pedestrian zone, providing alternate travel routes and consistently conducting anti-encroachment operations is an example," she said. "With these measures we are trying to once again transform this bazaar into a spacious area."

Highlighting a massive crackdown against encroachers, Dr Eman said the administration is going all out for successful redressal of this long-awaited issue. However, she emphasised the need for civic sense among the masses.

She identified population hike, increased urbanisation and lack of self-responsibility as major issues. "Another complex issue relating to congestion is that old markets and buildings still host thousands of families on the upper floors. We have to consider the civic dynamics of commercial cum residential areas as the markets are not only shopping hubs but also residential clusters. This requires a sophisticated approach," she explained.

The statistics show that city areas were cleared by confiscating 155 truckloads, 3,123 carts, 831 counters and 197 illegal platforms from shops and houses in addition to the removal of 264 concrete encroachments from areas ranging from Raja Bazaar to Murree Road, 4th, 5th, 6th Roads and Sadiqabad during recent the anti-encroachment drive.

As encroachments in Rawalpindi, which has around 11 major bazaars, have been cleared, the data shows that during a single crackdown undertaken recently, 522 truckloads were confiscated, and 4,572 concrete constructions and soft encroachments were removed.

To counter the common complaint of encroachers reappearing after a couple of days, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board CEO Ali Irfan Rizvi has applied a 'monitor and action' strategy by deploying RCB Enforcement personnel in bazaars ensuring no carts, stalls and other moveable encroachments reappear on roads." The deployed teams remain present in bazaars, check the situation and instantly respond to illegal movement", he said.

Heavy machinery was used to destroy concrete ramps and sheds during the recent drive in Tench Bhatta, Dhamial, Kamal Abad, Choohr and Misrial areas.