RAWALPINDI: The encroachments in major bazaars of the garrison city have resurfaced again after an ongoing campaign by the district administration and the municipal authorities dismantled them to improve the shopping experience and reduce congestion.Shopkeepers and stallholders in Bohar Bazaar, Iqbal Road, Kashmiri Bazaar, Namakmandi, Ganjmandi, Mochi Bazaar, College Road, Gowalmandi Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Circular Road, Banni Chowk, and adjoining bazaars have again encroached on footpaths in these markets.

In commercial hubs of Bohar Bazaar and Iqbal Road, shopkeepers displayed goods on pavements while vendors had put up stalls by the roadsides, forcing pedestrians to walk in the middle of the road. Visitors to these areas complained about the indifference of the authorities, saying it had become difficult to wall< on footpaths because of encroachments by shopkeepers.

They said Sabzi Mandi, Urdu Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar, Bara Bazaar, and adjoiningareas have no walking space left because of vendors and related violations.

Muhammad Faraz, a shopper in Bohar Bazaar, said that roadsides and footpaths were taken over by shopkeepers and vendors, but it was the government`s job to keep the sidewalks clear.

Shopkeepers, however, deflected the blame. Ahmed Raja, a shopkeeper in Bohar Bazaar, claimed the footpaths were encroached upon by stallholders in connivance with the staff of the municipal administration.

He said the shopkeepers have displayed only some items at prominent locations to attract buyers.

However, Iftikhar Ahmed, a vendor on Iqbal Road, argued that the stallholders were paying rent to the shopkeepers for setting up stalls outside their premises. He alleged that the municipal administration staffers took bribes from stallholders whenever they would visit to check the encroachment.

When contacted, a Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) official said that the district administration and RMC launched a drive against encroachments and were trying to remove hurdles from footpaths and roads.

`The RMC team cleared all footpaths in main bazaars and markets but the stallholders came back after the anti-encroachment operation,` he said.

On the other hand, a senior official of district administration told Dawn that the drive to clear major roads and streets from encroachments was still in motion.

We have already closed Raja Bazaar from Fawara Chowk to Hamilton Road for vehicles, the officialsaid, while acl
`There is a problem that once the district administration and RMC have cleared the roads from encroachments, the shopkeepers and stallholders encroach again the next day,` he said.

The official said Punjab was working on the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) and its Rawalpindi chapter would become functional after Ramazan. He added that the work for theestablishment of seven police stations at the tehsil level had also started and Rs544.62 million had been allocated.

He said that the PERA staff will take action for the removal of encroachments at the tehsil level, control prices, and oversee land revenue matters.

He said that in Rawalpindi city, the authority`s police station will be established near Murree Road, while for Cantonment, the station will be established on Adiala Road.