HYDERABAD: The Supreme Court’s directive to clear encroachment from roads has been warmly received by the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry (HCSTSI).
HCSTSI President Muhammad Farooq Shaikhani stated in a statement on Monday that traders who operate out of stores and outlets face significant challenges from tiny enterprises that operate out of occupied highways.
But he cautioned that the federal, regional, and local governments have often shown themselves defenseless in the face of such intruders. Shaikhani stressed that local governments and anti-encroachment units should act quickly to remove encroachment in order to facilitate traffic flow, in accordance with the highest court’s judgment.
He asserted that Hyderabad’s anti-encroachment cell is essentially useless. He made reference to a similar order issued by the Sindh High Court in 2021 for the removal of both soft and hard encroachment. “We have seen how similar orders of the courts were ignored by the concerned officials in the recent past,” he said.
Shaikhani claimed that people operating illegal businesses on footpaths, greenbelts, and occupied roads are the beneficiaries of the municipal and anti-encroachment cell officials. He said that officials who disobey the Supreme Court’s decision to remove encroachment should face consequences from the government.
Javed Iqbal, the head of the Traffic and Road Safety Foundation, stated in a statement on Monday that if a successful anti-encroachment drive is to be conducted, all political parties, members of the business community, and members of civil society would need to stand in support. Additionally, he advises Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro to see to it that a post-operation monitoring system is established, as it is frequently observed that encroachment returns following an exercise to remove it.
