ISLAMABAD: Vendors continue to carry out their small business activities on footpaths in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi which cause a number of hardships for the pedestrians and motorists.
It was witnessed that dozens of vendors, were selling different items including used cloths, shoes, toys, fruits and food items such as burgers, shawarma, kabab, smosas, chips by setting up their push carts or occupying different sites in the markets by setting up both moveable and non-moveable stalls at different markets temporarily.
Various markets including Aabpara, Faizabad, Melody, Karachi Company, Commercial market, Saddar, Raja Bazaar and other parts of the city are rife with encroachments.
The growing encroachments have not only marred beauty of the both cities, but also damaged road, causing hardships for pedestrians and motorists alike.
Shah Jahan, a stallholder at Faizabad, said that he had set up a stall at a footpath as he had no other option due to sky rocketing rents.
While justifying his illegal practice Shah Jahan said, "we also have to earn bread for our families. I set up my stall in this market because I had no other space to do business." Residents of G- 6, complained that footpaths were being misused by the shopkeepers.
When contacted an official of Capital Development Authority (CDA) Anti-Encroachment Department maintained that they used to conduct anti-encroachments drives and seize the encroached items. Traders needed to cooperate with the CDA to eradicate encroachments.
He said that the Enforcement Directorate of CDA regularly visits different areas of the city and confiscates stalls of encroachers," he added.
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