ISLAMABAD: The encroachment in markets are creating hurdles in smooth growth of business activities and DMA should take the concerned market associations on board to remove all encroachments from the local markets. This was said by Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry while talking to Yasir Farhad, Director Municipal Administration, CDA during his visit to ICCI.
Ahsan Bakhtawari said that a week schedule in coordination with market associations should be developed to survey the local markets for removal of encroachments. He said that many markets need parking facilities, replacement of old sewerage systems, repair of footpaths, carpeting of roads and revival of out of order streetlights and stressed that the DMA should convey these issues to the Chairman CDA to address them. He assured that ICCI in coordination with market associations would fully cooperate with DMA to address encroachment issues in the markets.
Speaking at the occasion, Yasir Farhad, Director Municipal Administration, CDA he wants to facilitate the traders in promoting trade activities and assured that he would like to work with market associations to address their issues regarding encroachments. He said that ICCI in coordination with market associations should make a weekly plan of visit schedule so that he could visit various markets to see the encroachments and take measures for their removal.
He said that DMA has cancelled all licenses for business on green and open areas and said that the business community should cooperate with DMA in promoting fair business practices. He said that an SOP has been developed for board license while the policy for open areas would be finalized soon. He said that Sasta Bazaars are being established in existing markets only for the month of Ramadan to provide daily use items to the consumers. He assured that he would take ICCI and market associations on board to address the encroachments and other issues in markets.
Zafar Bakhtawari, Muhammad Ejaz Abbasi, Khalid Chaudhry and representatives of various markets including Abdul Rehman Siddiqui, Akhtar Abbasi, Raja Imtiaz, Tahir Abbasi, Zahid Qureshi and others also highlighted DMA related issues of their markets and gave useful proposals to address them.
