RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) residential areas are faced with severe inconvenience due to commercial activities in the area. However, the RCB administration is unmoved in addressing the area’s residents’ problems. Due to poor implementation of law over the past decade, new problems have been created for the residents in the shape of commercial activities in those residential areas. During a survey of British Homes, Naseerabad, Tench Bata and other areas of RCB, it was observed that most of the residential areas are illegally converted to commercial areas which not only cause pollution but also caused revenue loss for the cantonment board. It was observed that plastic shoes making factories are established in the residential areas of the British Homes area of the RCB. Similarly, cloth printing machines are installed in houses at Naseerabad and Qasimabad areas. Substandard Corns, Nimko, biscuits and sweets are prepared at Tench Bata, People’s Colony, Kamalabad and other areas of the cantonment board. Two illegal butter making plants are also installed in Dhok Chaudhrian area, it was revealed during the survey. “Beauty parlours, clinics, health fitness clubs and general stores can be found in almost every street of the residential area in Cantt Board,” said Muhammad Usman, who lives near Saddar Rawalpindi. Mohsin Khan, a resident of Naseerabad, said traffic jam has become a routine menace, causing inconvenience for the people to live in a quiet and calm environment. Owners of big houses had rented out their units for commercial activities to earn more, he said. In recent past, five people including three children were injured in gas cylinder blast in ice factory established in Gawalmandi. Kashif Murtaza, who is a resident of this area said, “We have filed multiple complaints with the RCB to take action against these ice factories established in residential areas but the administration hardly pays any heed to our requests for the removal of the workshops.” These commercial activities in residential areas not only cause problems for the residents but also damaging the revenue of the RCB and other government departments. Sources privy to the development revealed, most of these businesses do not use commercial electricity or gas and do not pay the commercial property taxes. These commercial units get the electricity, gas and other connections on residential documentation allegedly by giving bribe to the officials, sources said. A senior officer of the cantonment board wishing anonymity said the official of the revenue department had sent commercial property tax notices to these commercial units. “Total registered units from which we collect tax in the jurisdiction of RCB is 70 out of 170, while 23 out of 120 of them are registered as commercial properties. We collect more than Rs 650 million property tax every year,” RCB Revenue Department Head Qaiser Abbas Shah said while talking exclusively to Daily Times. Despite multiple attempts and even sending the written questions to the RCB Secretary & Spokesman Qaiser Mahmood for his version, he did not given the version of department about the illegal commercial activities in the residential areas. Published in Daily Times, August 8th 2018.