The City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) will launch an operation against encroachments in the Punjab capital from March 11 (today) to reclaim state land and clear encroachments in the commercial areas. While talking to newsmen here on Thursday, District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Lahore Ahad Khan Cheema said it will be an indiscriminate operation against encroachments and no one will be spared and they will not bow to any pressure.
"The Punjab Chief Minister has taken the provincial parliamentarians (hailing from Lahore) into confidence on that matter and the operation has their full backing. The CM has also assured that there would be no interference," he added. According to him, the operation will take place in all nine towns of the city and in the areas fall under the cantonment and Lahore Development Authority. A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of a concerned town would accompany the encroachment team during the operation.
To a query, he said the operation will not end till all targeted encroachment are removed and the City District Government Lahore will ensure that the encroachments do not reoccur. Hence, in this connection, monitoring teams will visit the areas where the encroachments were removed.
The DCO said the operation is launched after a 10-day awareness and persuasion campaign. He said various mediums, including advertisement and announcement in mosques, were used for awareness campaign. "The campaign yielded some positive response, as many people voluntarily removed encroachments in various areas of the city," he added. He averred that small time vendors will be let off with a warning, but they will come hard on big encroachers and no respite will be given to them.
"The belongings (of the traders) seized during anti-encroachment operations for the first time would be returned after a week; those seized for the second time would be confiscated," he added. According to him, first of all, footpaths would be made hurdle-free for pedestrians. Parking lots would be properly earmarked by marking lanes to minimise excessive and illegal occupation of space by contractors. Encroachments on setback areas of commercial zones would also be removed.