Encroachments ‘thick and fast’:CDA

[LahoreEstate]

Encroachments ‘thick and fast’

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has seemed to fail in removing encroachments, which are growing in the city day and night. Encroachers are fast spreading in the city. Aabpara, Faizabad, Melody and Blue Area are so occupied with encroachments that pedestrians could not walk through these places easily. Shopkeepers at these markets set out their goods on footpaths while stalls have occupied the rest of the space. A CDA official told Daily Times that CDA’s anti-encroachment drives were just eyewash. “Anti-encroachment staff pick up goods of encroachers and then return them after taking some bribe, which is why encroachments are getting out of control in the city,” he said. Shopkeepers, he said, encroached on the land adjacent to their shops in connivance with CDA officials who took bribe regularly. He said the CDA Enforcement Directorate had recently appointed new staff and purchased new vehicles but its performance was still far below the mark. “Due to negligence of CDA staff, most encroachers reestablish their stalls after their removal in anti-encroachment drives,” he said. People said the CDA needed to take a stern action against encroachers. “Encroachments not only affect pedestrians but also create problems for motorists,” said a citizen. fazal sher

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg11_4