| Vendors rush to set up stalls during Ramadan |
RAWALPINDI The city’s worst traffic jams during Holy Month of Ramadan are due to hawkers selling food items on road sides.
Ramadan begins on Saturday, and the vendors have already occupied footpaths, service roads and commercial markets. The administration has yet to launch a campaign that will purge the city of encroachment.
Since most hotels remain closed during the holy month and people prefer to dine at home with their families, restaurant owners set up cooking stands outside of their outlets to cook snacks, ultimately occupying the footpaths.
The illegal encroachment of roads by hawkers and vendors takes a heavy toll on the smooth flow of traffic, leading to it taking hours for motorists and passengers to reach their destinations – particularly around Iftaar time.
District Coordination Of-ficer Saqib Zaffar acknowledged the menace and assured that he would order municipal authorities to launch an anti-encroachment campaign soon.
Unlike cantonment limits where hawkers are issued licences to establish their stalls at specific areas, anyone can set up a stall on a road side anywhere in the city. Until a massive crackdown is launched, the vendors will continue their businesses.
The frequently visited Raja Bazaar, Commercial Market, Moti Bazaar, Banni Chowk, and even traffic arteries, have been swamped with vendors leading to traffic jams that create hurdles for shoppers to stroll freely.
With only three days remaining until the beginning of holy month, vendors are illegally competing for key roadsides to set up their stalls, and with no authority to crack down on them. “If you come first and establish a stall at a key place, then your business is good for the entire month. But, if you fail, another vendor will occupy the same spot,” Sher Dil, a vendor.
Internews
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