The City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) is probably waiting for a repeat of the industrial fire accidents in Lahore and Karachi before it tries to initiate action against illegal factories operating in residential areas.
Under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance, industrial activities cannot be carried out in residential areas, but the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) has turned a blind eye to around 200 illegal factories functioning in various residential areas of the city.
These factories are located in densely populated areas, including Raja Bazaar, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Bangash Colony, Dhoke Dalal, Dhoke Ratta, College Road, Sadiqabad, Glass Factory, Pirwadhai, Asghar Mall and Bagh Sardaran.
About 50 factories are located in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Bagh Sardaran, Bangash colony and Khyaban-e-Iqbal areas alone.
Residents of Khayaban-e-Iqbal (old Badar and Bangash colonies) said that illegal commercial activities in the area had made their lives miserable because of the fumes that were emitted during recycling and leather refining processes, coupled with noise pollution.
Ali Jan, a resident of Khayaban-e-Iqbal, told this agency that many small fire incidents had occurred in these factories.
He said some of the factories were set up in narrow streets where fire tenders could not easily reach. He alleged some influential people were behind these illegal concerns.
Aslam, who resides in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, said most of the factories were shoe manufacturing and plastic recycling units, which emit toxic smoke during the tanning and dying process of leather or processing of plastic material, which was causing respiratory problems for the area residents.
Similarly, a steel mill has been functioning in the congested area of Gowalmandi since long making the lives of people in the area difficult.
The residents demanded immediate shifting of these factories from their areas to avert any mishap.
A TMA official on condition of anonymity said that a large number of illegal factories were functioning in residential areas and it was not possible to relocate them somewhere else. However, the authorities were to ensure appropriate safety measures and installation of fire-fighting equipment in these units.