RAWALPINDI: The district administration on Saturday demolished illegal sheds of shops and commercial buildings in Raja Bazaar, Bara Bazaar, and surrounding markets, warning traders in other areas to remove unauthorised structures or face strict action.

Assistant Commissioner City Hakim Khan told Dawn that following directions from Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema, the administration launched an aggressive campaign against encroachments in the city, with the assistance of the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation and local police.

He said shopkeepers in Raja Bazaar, Bara Bazaar, Mochi Bazaar, and Bazaar Talwaran had encroached five to ten feet of footpaths and roadsides, causing difficulties for pedestrians and motorists. He added that traders in Bohar Bazaar, Iqbal Road, and College Road had been warned to dismantle illegal structures, or else stringent action would be taken against them in the coming days.

The Deputy Commissioner had already issued warnings to shopkeepers to remove the unauthorised structures. After surveying the area, the district administration verified the illegal structures using land revenue records, prompting the operation to commence.

He further mentioned that encroachments along the left side of Murree Road, from Liaquat Bagh to Faizabad, had been cleared, and an operation would begin on Monday to remove encroachments from the right side of Murree Road.

In the coming days, the anti-encroachment drive will expand to the commercial market, aiming to clear verandas and footpaths, allowing pedestrians to walk unimpeded, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2024