Rawalpindi
Residents of Niazi Town Chowk and adjoining areas are facing increasing difficulties due to widespread encroachments, with pushcarts and temporary stalls now occupying not only the main road but also residential streets.
According to residents, fruit vendors and other pushcart operators have set up their stalls along the roadsides and at the entrances of several streets around Niazi Town Chowk. In many places, carts, makeshift stalls and umbrellas have significantly narrowed the passages, leaving pedestrians with little space to move.
Residents said the encroachments have disrupted both vehicular and pedestrian movement, causing particular difficulties for women, children and elderly people living in the area. In some locations, crowds gathering around the vendors further restrict the already narrow streets.
Residents further stated that several complaints have already been submitted to the Chief Executive Officer of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board and the Station Commander regarding the encroachments. However, they said no effective and permanent action has so far been taken.
The residents have urged the concerned authorities to conduct an immediate inspection of the area and remove all illegal encroachments from the roads and streets.
They also called for effective measures to prevent the encroachments from reappearing.
Citizens have appealed to the higher authorities to launch an indiscriminate operation against encroachments in and around Niazi Town Chowk so that residents and pedestrians can regain safe and unobstructed access to the area.
