Encroachments are on the rise in Potohar town as the shopkeepers and vendors have occupied most of the footpaths and open spaces in the area and hampering road traffic besides creating troubles for pedestrians. The encroachers have set up their stalls at almost all main roads of Potohar Town including Adiala Road, Dhamial Road, Chakri Road, Morgah Road, Misrial Road, Kotah Kalan, Dhama Morr and several other city arteries. In many areas the handcart bazaars have also been established and they occupy both sides of roads due to which the citizens are facing problems and the encroachments creating difficulties in the smooth flow of traffic in the area. Traffic jam is now a routine on most of Potohar Town roads particularly during rush hours.
Chakri Road which is nearly 120-foott wide but due to encroachments it is shrinking along about two kilometers of its patch. The Biscuit Factory Square has now become a hub of vehicle repairing workshops, vegetables and fruits vendors, restaurants, motor showrooms, building materials warehouses and a centre of other business activities. It has become a hub of encroachers. Similarly, areas around Adiala Road, Dhamial Road, Morgah and Kota Kalan have become too congested and they need attention of authorities concerned since traffic jams are a routine matter there. These neighborhoods are under the control of Potohar Town TMA but it seems that the authority is least concerned to remove encroachments.
Though, a number of anti-encroachment drives have been launched by the authorities concerned but the situation never changes owing to the ever-increasing encroachments. The traffic mess on roads creates problems for residents and motorists alike besides causing noise and environmental pollution.
Talking to APP, a motorist said on Sunday that the authorities should launch a massive campaign to remove those encroachments and that the vigilance should be well-maintained after such drive. Faisal, a resident of Dhamial said that the encroachers had been occupying both sides of roads leaving no space for car parking in nearby bazaars or even for pedestrians.
“The authorities should come up with an effective strategy and concerned officials should pay surprise visits to these areas,” he opined. Arif, another resident of the Adiala Road neighborhood, said that apart from traffic jams people also had to face the noise pollution.
“The higher authorities should take notice of the negligence of the departments concerned,” he added. The residents demand that goods displayed on roadsides, outside the shops, must be confiscated and the encroachers must be fined heavily. The citizens urged the TMA authorities to take strict action against the shopkeepers, vendors and fruit and vegetable handcart owners that are creating hurdles in the smooth flow of traffic.