Anti-Encroachment Drive launched to retrieve Footpaths, Roadsides, and Parking Areas

 
 
 
Anti-Encroachment Drive launched to retrieve footpaths, roadsides, and parking areas

Encroachment is a menace to life in developing countries and Pakistan is no different. They create overcrowding of public areas, block safe and easy access to services and shops, and are a nuisance to the citizenry and city administration alike. In Pakistan, encroachment generally refers to street vendors with their carts selling goods on the road, small shops that have extended their placements on the sidewalks, and roadside stalls selling food and other goods. In addition, car dealer companies usually grab footpaths, parking areas, roadsides, and green belts. All this commercial activity is conducted without any permission or proper license from the city authorities.

To retrieve footpaths, roadsides, and parking areas, the city authorities have started an anti-encroachment drive against car dealers in Islamabad. Around 90% of space at G-8 Markaz has been encroached by car dealers. There are several hospitals, pharmacies, banks, and food outlets in the area but the car dealer companies have encroached parking spaces and footpaths in front of these buildings, offices, and shops, leaving no space for citizens to park their vehicles. The government has already issued notices asking them to remove their vehicles otherwise further action would be initiated.

Land encroachment is common in Pakistan due to a lack of regulations for street infringement and demarcation of land. With the help of digital cadastral mapping, it has been found that land worth trillions of dollars has encroached all over Pakistan. A study shows that the total value of all encroached state land and those in the three major cities is Rs 5.5 trillion. The encroached land in the three major cities of the country, Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi is worth Rs 2.6 trillion.

However, the incumbent government is making efforts to retrieve the land from encroachers. According to government officials, the state cannot retrieve illegally occupied land from encroachers without a thorough implementation of the rule of law. These anti-encroachment drives can also help attract investments from abroad as they will impart a positive sentiment regarding real estate regulations in Pakistan.

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IMARAT Institute of Policy Studies

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