RAWALPINDI: Residents of different cantonment areas have requested the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) to clear encroachments that are causing locals trouble in their daily lives.
They claimed that the authorities in concern appeared uninterested in pursuing violations.
Illegal commercial activities have been observed in various RCB residential neighbourhoods, including Gawalmandi, Chor, Masrial Road, Tench Bhatta, Bakra Mandi, and Chungi No. 22, as encroachers who have occupied streets and roads cause difficulties for vehicles and pedestrians, especially women and children. In residential neighbourhoods, a huge number of unlicensed commercial units, factories, godowns, and offices have been established.
Almost all unlicensed commercial establishments lack parking. As a result, cars are parked on the roads, causing significant traffic congestion.
Most of the streets of Tench Bhatta, Peoples Colony, Dhoke Syedan, Bakra Mandi, Chungi No. 22, Chor, and Gawalmandi have been converted into commercial centres, according to residents. Houses have been converted into workshops, godowns, and offices by traders.
According to Naveed, a Tench Bhatta resident, the bulk of such units lack fire safety provisions, posing a risk to inhabitants. “There is also no control over noise pollution created by industrial units,” he lamented.
Encroachments have become a significant issue not only for motorists but also for local people.
Another neighbour, Altaf, said that traffic congestion could be seen on Tench Bhatta Road because shopkeepers had taken up both sides of the road, leaving no room for pedestrian movement.
He claims that the authorities in concern are doing nothing.
