TMAs launch campaign against encroachers

December 4, 2009

By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: Town Municipal Administrations (TMA) in city have launched a campaign against illegal occupation of government land particularly on land that constitute passage of heavy traffic such as pavements and front side of shops located at main roads and where heavy rush of people remains most of the time.
In this regard, Liaquatabad TMA has prepared for necessary arrangements to get the S M Taufiq Road evicted from the encroachers. This avenue in Liaquatabad TMA’s precincts has been one of the busiest shopping centres of the city while almost 75 percent public transport runs on this road.
Talking to Daily Times, Liaquatabad Town Nazim Osama Qadri said that the encroachers have established around 500 take away stalls ahead of permanent shops and have encroached pavement and 25-feet of main road thus they have created severe impediment for the transport. As a result of that, scenes of traffic gridlocks have become a routine matter that continue from wee hours till evening.
Qadri added that since these take away stall owners have no other income resources so the Liaquatabad TMA had no intention to deprive them of their ready income resources but it was also imperative that these take away stalls should remain within the limits and should not create hurdles to smooth passage of heavy traffic and people’s movement.
Qadri said that all necessary arrangements have been made prior to start of the campaign so as to avoid any untoward situation and the law and order should be maintained at all cost.
Meanwhile, New Karachi TMA has for the last few months announced a similar campaign while the TMA has during past few months removed mentionable illegal occupants from public land from various spots.
On Friday,
Talking to Daily Times, New Karachi Town Nazim Akhtar Hussein said that the campaign against encroachments was a continuous process because the encroachers used to reoccupy the area after pause of a few days. However, the shopkeepers have encroached big area in contrast to legal limit of 3-feet ahead of a shop.
Hussein said that the New Karachi TMA has given a three-day time to these shopkeepers to remove the encroachment on their own so as to save certain expensive construction from rude demolition.
Hussein said that the shopkeepers were a key reason for the encroachment on roads because they earn money from owners of take-away stall owners for allowing them to fix their stall in front of their shops.
Hussein added that those shopkeepers would be fined and dealt with strictly according to law incase they were found involved in such activities again.
It is pertinent to mention that the New Karachi TMA has been widely engaged against encroachments in the town and has demolished many shops that were constructed on public land illegally.