KARACHI: The city administration has decided to take various measures to make its ongoing campaign against overcharging, roadside hotels, and soft encroachments on footpaths and roads more effective.
The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by City Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi and attended by deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners to review the price control and anti-encroachment campaign.
The commissioner emphasised the need to make the campaign against overcharging and encroachments more effective.
He told the meeting that town municipal corporations (TMCs) would be mobilised in this regard.
The meeting agreed that anti-encroachment departments of TMCs needed to be activated to strengthen the campaign against encroachments.
It was decided that TMCs would be required to play an effective role in preventing the re-emergence of encroachments and ensure that encroachments removed during operations did not reappear.
The meeting also considered various proposals to make the anti-encroachment departments of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) more active and effective.
It was decided that the concerned officers, fieldlevel inspectors and staff, as well as the local police, would be required to take effective measures to prevent encroachments from reappearing at locations where they had been removed. They would also identify those responsible for encroachments and takeaction against them.
Roadside eateries, stalls to be regulated The meeting also decided to regulate roadside tea stalls and eateries that operate with chairs and other arrangements extending beyond their designated limits. Roadside hotels will be registered through QR codes and will have to submit affidavits.
Hotels that avoid registration or fail to register through the QR-code system on the Commissioner Office portal will face action and may be sealed.
DCs and ACs briefed the meeting about the steps beingtaken to controlovercharging.
It was informed that from Aug 6 to Aug 31, ACs checked prices at 3,152 locations and took action against 726 profiteers. Fines totalling Rs 4,336,630 were imposed, while 12 people were arrested and 33 shops were sealed. According to the details, ACs also supervised the sale of commodities at official government prices at 232 locations.
During the period from Sept7 to Sept13, ACs checked prices at more than 3,000 locations as part of the campaign against overcharging.
A total of 508 profiteers were fined Rs2,434,680, while five people were arrested and six shops were sealed. ThehighestfineswereimposedinSouthDistrict and Central District. According to the report, 733 shopkeepers were issued warnings. Magistrates also supervised the sale of commodities at official government prices at 285 locations.-APP