LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore (MCL) have come under fire for their inability to remove encroachments from major city roads and markets, particularly Madina Road and Lower Mall.
According to sources, the failure has caused a great inconvenience to the public, including traffic congestion, dust, and noise pollution, and parking issues.
The situation has worsened as no one from the MCL, district administration, and the LDA appears willing to launch a major operation to clear the roads of all sorts of encroachments due to fear of past tragic incidents during operations.
According to residents, Madina Road is a critical point that has not seen any action since a major anti-encroachment operation in February 2014 led to scuffles among officials, shopkeepers, and clerics.
Moreover, the encroachers have reduced the road’s width to half, making it difficult for motorists, shoppers, and pedestrians to move.
Similarly, the Lower Mall has become a constant traffic jam due to a huge parking lot made by lawyers, causing inconvenience to the public.
The MCL’s Chief Officer Ali Abbas Bukhari admitted the issue and pledged to discuss it with the lawyers to end the parking lot.
Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa also promised a major anti-encroachment operation on all major and small roads after the Eid holidays.
Source: DAWN
