Anti-encroachment drive sparks vendors' outrage

Street vendors at Sarai Kala's Zia Market on Saturday accused municipal authorities and police personnel of breaking the locks of closed shops and confiscating handcarts kept inside during an anti-encroachment operation allegedly conducted in the presence of the Assistant Commissioner Taxila.

According to the vendors, officials forcibly entered locked premises, seized handcarts stored inside and, in some cases, allegedly manhandled vendors. They further claimed that several individuals were taken into police custody during the operation.

Questioning the legality of the action, the vendors said they could not understand under what law authorities were permitted to break the locks of private shops and remove their handcarts.