Commissioner Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the ongoing campaign against roadside encroachments causing traffic congestion in the city.
It was decided in the meeting that any violation of the SOP despite the submission of the required affidavit would lead to heavy fines and possible arrest. Naqvi urged all deputy commissioners to enforce the SOP rigorously.
Officials said the meeting was attended among others by the deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners via video link. The deputy commissioners briefed the commissioner on the operations being carried out in their respective districts. The commissioner took notice of the recurrence of encroachments in various areas and directed that those who had submitted affidavits must strictly adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP).
The deputy commissioners reported that after obtaining written assurances of compliance, shops and hotels had been de sealed and were being monitored. The commissioner warned that the trend of roadside encroachments in the city was rising and needed to be curbed through priority measures.
The meeting was attended by all deputy commissioners, Additional Commissioner One Ghulam Mehdi Shah, Assistant Commissioner Headquarters Rabea Saeed, and Assistant Commissioner General Hazim Bhangwar, while all assistant commissioners attended via video link and briefed the progress in their sub divisions.
Assistant Commissioner Headquarters Rabia Syed informed the meeting that, under the supervision of deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and district officers are taking action against encroachments on roadsides, service roads and footpaths across all districts. According to the reports submitted by the deputy commissioners, a total of 632 shops and 250 hotels had been sealed, with the most stringent action taken in the Saddar subdivision, where 257 shops and 47 hotels were sealed; and after receiving the SOP compliant affidavits, these premises have been de sealed.
