JHANG City News

TMA flayed for shifting anti-encroachment drive to highways
From Our Correspondent
JHANG: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) officials have made an anti-encroachment drive useless by diverting it to the highways from the city roads.
The residents of different areas said that the administrative control and record of the state property along with the highways was with the Punjab Highways Department. The people, in their application to the Punjab government signed by the residents of various localities, said that all roads of the city had encroached upon by different stallholders and vendors while illegal parking at various markets could also witnessed, causing traffic mess. They said that all footpaths were completely occupied and being rented out by the influential of the city. Due to the situation, traffic flow on the roads had been halted and even pedestrians were facing problems, they added. The people alleged that the record of the encroached land was deliberately misplaced to give legal cover to the encroachers. They said that the CO, whose hometown is Jhang, and other staff concerned instead of launching anti-encroachment drive in the city shifted the campaign towards the highways and made the anti-encroachment drive useless. They said that the TMA could remove encroachments from the city roads but the removal of encroachments from the highways was the responsibility of the Punjab Highways Department. The aggrieved owners of the properties showed ownership documents to the journalists during operation and said that the TMA had no authority to demolish their roadside private properties without confirming from the PHD. They said that private wagon and bus stands were the main reason of halting the traffic flow and making the civic life miserable. The people demanded the Punjab CM and other authorities transfer the CO and other officials of the TMA to make the anti-encroachment drive in the city successful. When contacted, TMA CO Mukhtar Shah said that the anti-encroachment campaign was started from Ayub Chowk and other highways, which would be extended in the whole city. He said that no discrimination would be adopted during removal of encroachments even from the highways as it was a responsibility of the TMA given by the district administration.