Raja Bazaar basements declared illegal

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has declared the basements of all buildings in Raja Bazaar illegal and issued notices to business owners to immediately demolish them. The RMC cited the loss of billions of rupees after rainwater entered the basements of business centres and shops due to heavy rains on Friday.

RMC Chief Officer Imran Ali said that the main reason for the water entering the business centres of Raja Bazaar was that the rainfall exceeded 100 mm, which caused the drainage system to overflow and water to enter illegally constructed basements, damaging shop inventory worth billions.

He said that action will be taken against those who fail to demolish the basements. All building owners have been asked to prove that basements underneath their buildings were approved when they had proposed their building plans.

Meanwhile, the cleaning process of Raja Bazaar continued throughout Saturday. All sewage drains along Raja Bazaar, Jamia Masjid Road and other adjacent business centres was carried out.