Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A delegation comprising representatives of local markets, led by Traders’ Action Committee Islamabad president Ajmal Baloch, called on Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz and informed him of their concerns over the ongoing anti-encroachment drive. Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman’s coordinator Mehtab Khan was also present at the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Anser Aziz apologised for the losses caused to the traders due to CDA’s operations for removal of encroachments from various markets.

He assured that CDA would consult traders before launching any future operations against encroachments. He said after identification of encroachments, CDA would give sufficient time to traders to remove them. He said canopies put up in front of shops could not be treated as encroachment and would not be removed.

He asked the traders to legalise the openings of basements. He said a committee would be formed to address the concerns of traders on trade license issue. He urged the traders to cooperate with CDA in its efforts to streamline things in markets and appointed I-9 UC chairman as focal person to address the problems of the trading community.

He said class-III shopping centres were developed to meet the needs of traders. “In future, CDA will not allow businesses, offices or restaurants to operate in the same plazas,” he said.

Traders Action Committee president Ajmal Baloch said that traders had planned to stage a protest against the CDA. However, he said, it would be postponed as the mayor had assured them that their concerns would be addressed.