RAWALPINDI - Dozens of traders of Anjuman-e-Tajran Furniture Market Tuesday reopened the U-turn by removing concrete blocks on Benazir Bhutto Road opposite to Naz Cinema forcefully to make it functional for the traffic leading towards Furniture Market and Rawal Road.
The U-turn was closed by City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) by placing heavy concrete blocks with the help of lifters of City Traffic Police (CTP) after the inauguration of Chandni Chowk flyover for the smooth flow of traffic on BBR. A large number of traders gathered on BBR at Naz Cinema and staged a protest demo against CDGR and CTP for closing the U-turn for traffic in what they termed a huge loss to their businesses.
The enraged protestors torched tyres and blocked BBR for traffic for all kinds of traffic. They also chanted slogans against PML-N MNA Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar and CDGR.
Nazir Ahmed, a furniture trader, while talking to media, said that their business was going into complete loss because of closure of the U-turn as no customer could take U-turn to visit the furniture market. “You know this is the season for marriages. Parents use to come to the market to buy furniture as dowry for their daughters but they face a lot of troubles owing to this U-turn blocked by the CDGR. That is why the patents have to take a long turn in their vehicles to reach to the furniture market for the purpose” he said.
This step of CDGR had irked the traders much, said a trader Noshad adding that now traders would not allow any body to close this u-turn for traffic.

He said that they have repeatedly made requests with MNA Hanif Abbasi and DCO to remove hurdles from the u-turn but in vain. “Finally we overthrown the concrete blocks placed by CDGR. We will not allow authorities concerned to snatch our livelihood,” he added in an angry manner. On the other hand, the commuters and pedestrians suffered a lot due to mess of traders on busiest BBR.