Arun Trisal
Kathua, Oct 24: Frequent drives conducted by Kathua Municipal Council have proved eyewash as roadsides and footpaths could be seen encroached by shopkeepers and vendors.
Sources said that few shopkeepers and vendors under patronage of some politicians and bureaucrats have encroached, the paths and remained untouched during anti-encroachment drives.
Despite the fact that so many anti-encroachment drives have been conducted by KMC, no change has been witnessed on ground zero as the encroachments of pavements, footpaths and roads have become a common scene across Kathua city, causing inconvenience for the pedestrians and motorists.
The action taken by administration so far was merely an eye wash as authorities seldom bother to act against influential persons while their action remained restricted to those who could hardly raise their voice against the administration, said by Ashwani Sharma. It is quite unfortunate that neither Traffic police nor the KMC authorities are taking action against the vendors and shopkeepers, encroaching the roads and footpaths by extending their makeshift stalls said Varinder Sharma a private employee.
"These encroachments create unnecessary hurdles and the people have to encounter frequent traffic jams and sometimes it takes hours to walk out of small stretch", said Vice Principal Shishu Modern High School Kathua, Priti Sharma.
Pedestrians are facing hard time while crossing these stretches as shopkeepers display their goods on the pavement and sometimes due to lack of space inside the shops they occupy these footpaths illegally.
More over vendors, hawkers, three wheelers and manual carriers increase the problems of the pedestrians manifold said National Youth Project Coordinator, District Kathua Updesh Andotra. |
