Encroachments on the rise in capital

[Salman]

Encroachments on the rise in capital

ISLAMABAD: Vendors continue to carry out their small business activities on footpaths in the federal capital causing difficulties for the city’s pedestrians and motorists. Various markets, such as Aabpara, Faizabad, Melody, Blue Area, Karachi Company, and other parts of the city are rife with encroachments. The growing encroachments have not only marred the beauty of the city, but have also damaged roads, causing hardships for pedestrians and motorists. It is a common sight in almost all markets of the city that shopkeepers encroach upon pavements in front of their shops while vendors set up stalls on roads, forcing pedestrians to walk in the middle of roads which causes problems in the flow of the traffic. A customer at the Peshawar More market said that it has become almost impossible to walk freely in the market because of encroachments on footpaths. When contacted, an official of the Enforcement Department of Capital Development Authority (CDA) said the authority has launched many anti-encroachment campaigns to keep the roads and footpaths clear. He said that CDA also warned the shopkeepers and vendors not to encroach upon footpaths, otherwise strict action would be taken against them.