Illegal commercial activities in residential areas irk citizens

Rawalpindi : The residents of several Cantonment areas have been left to suffer due to illegal commercial activities in residential areas and it looks that the authorities concerned are least interested to take action in accordance with the law against the rules violators.

Illegal commercial activities in several residential areas of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) including Gawalmandi, Choor, Tench Bhatta and Chungi No 22 irk the residents as the encroachers have occupied streets and roads, creating problems for the motorists as well as pedestrians particularly for women and children.

The illegal commercial activities are rampant in several residential areas, creating a lot of nuisance.

The questions are also being raised as to why a number of roads were declared commercial by ignoring the parking arrangements and traffic-related issues.

Most of such unauthorised commercial units, factories and godowns in residential areas lack parking arrangements.

Thus, vehicles are generally parked on the roads causing traffic snarls.

Moreover, the majority of such units lack fire safety arrangements, posing threat to the residents.

Also, there is no check on noise pollution being created by the industrial units.

According to the residents, most of the streets of Tench Bhatta, Peoples Colony, Dhoke Syedan, Bakra Mandi, Chungi No 22, Choor, Gawalmandi and other areas have been converted into commercial centers as the traders have changed houses into workshops, godowns and offices.

The residents also complained that influential persons with the connivance of the authorities concerned are constructing illegal plazas and shops in such localities further deteriorating the agonizing situation.