Encroachments on the rise

ISLAMABAD: Vendors continue to carry out their small business activities on footpaths in federal capital causing a number of hardships for the pedestrians and motorists.

Various markets including Aabpara, Faizabad, Melody, Blue Area, Karachi Company and other parts of the city are rife with encroachments.

The growing encroachments have not only marred beauty of the city, but also damaged road, causing hardships for pedestrians and motorists alike.

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, besides hindering traffic flow.

A customer at Peshawar More market said that it had 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 launched anti-encroachment campaign drives 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.