The city administration has decided to take various measures to make its ongoing campaign against overcharging, roadside hotels, and soft encroachments established on footpaths and roads, more effective. Town municipal administrations will be mobilised in this regard. Commissioner of Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi, chaired a meeting of Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners to review the price control and anti encroachment campaign . The Commissioner said that there was a need to make the campaign against overcharging and encroachments more effective.

The meeting agreed that the anti-encroachment departments of town administrations needed to be activated to strengthen the campaign against encroachments. It was decided that Town Municipal Administrations would be required to play an effective role in preventing the re-emergence of encroachments and ensure that encroachments removed during operations were not established again. The meeting also considered various proposals to make the anti-encroachment departments of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Town Municipal Administrations more active and effective.

It was decided that the concerned officers, field-level inspectors and staff, as well as the local police, would be required to take effective measures to prevent encroachments from reappearing at locations where they had been removed. They would also identify those responsible for encroachments and take action against them. The meeting also decided to regulate roadside tea stalls and eateries operating by placing chairs and other arrangements beyond their designated limits. Roadside hotels will be registered through QR codes and to submit affidavits.

Hotels that avoid registration or fail to register through the QR-code system on the Commissioner’s Office portal will face action and may be sealed. Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners briefed about the steps being taken to control overcharging. It was informed that from August 6 to August 31, Assistant Commissioners checked prices at 3,152 locations and took action against 726 profiteers. Fines totaling Rs. 4,336,630 were imposed, while 12 people were arrested and 33 shops were sealed. According to the details, Assistant Commissioners also supervised the sale of commodities at official government prices at 232 locations.

During the period from September 7 to September 13, Assistant Commissioners checked prices at more than 3,000 locations as part of the campaign against overcharging. A total of 508 profiteers were fined Rs. 2,434,680, while five people were arrested and six shops were sealed. The highest fines were imposed in South District and Central District. According to the report, 733 shopkeepers were issued warnings. Magistrates also supervised the sale of commodities at official government prices at 285 locations.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)