PESHAWAR, June 5: Keeping in view the growing traffic problems in different commercial areas of Saddar Bazaar, the Cantonment Board Peshawar (CBP) has decided to stop giving no objection certificates (NOCs) to builders unless they give an assurance about construction of parking space in their planned buildings.

“People face lots of problems due to lack of parking spaces in different plazas and the negligence of relevant officials is to blame.

However, the mistakes of the past will not be repeated now and in future,” CBP chief executive officer Mohammad Saleem Wattoo told reporters here on Tuesday.

He said a comprehensive strategy had been devised to remove all encroachments, widen roads, install streetlights, rearrange green belts, and create footpaths on both sides of roads in the limits of CBP.

“For removal of traffic hurdles, parking plazas will be built at the congested places like Dabgari and Saddar areas in addition to creation of new parking lots,” he said.

Mr Wattoo said of the 83 kilometers roads, only 32 kilometers fell in the jurisdiction of CBP, while the rest were overseen by the communication and works and MES departments.

He said work on Bara Road, Shami Road, Swati Phattak Road were underway, while Super Market area, which was previously ignored, had seen massive development.

The CBP CEO said land grabbers had occupied the board’s land measuring 143 marlas in different places but it was recovered and would be changed into parks and car parking lots to the benefit of the people.

He complained that majority of domestic and commercial tenants avoided paying taxes and water bills.

“There are 33 tube wells in cantonment areas, where the people are getting water from 8,000 domestic and 14,000 commercial connections but of them, only those with 3,700 connections are paying the bills,” he said.

Mr Wattoo added that the board had Rs100 millions arrears against the people.

The CBP CEO said the outlay of the board’s total budget for the fiscal 2012-13 was over one billion rupees and 75 per cent of it would be spent on development schemes. He said such a huge amount had never been spent on development schemes.

About the plan for removal of encroachments, he said all stakeholders had been taken confidence and that they had promised to extend cooperation for the purpose.

He said a public awareness drive would also be launched before the start of the anti-encroachment drive.

Mr Wattoo admitted connivance of some CBP employees with encroachers and water thieves but said strict action had been taken against three such employees.

He said CBP had arranged one-window operation for speedy redressal of people’s problems but even then, people could contact him directly in case of any problem.