According to media reports and telecasts quite a lot of demolition work is being carried out all over in various cities and towns of the Punjab to clean up and widen the roads and bazaars by flattening the illegal encroachments. Whereas on the one hand it is a welcome step but on the other millions and possibly billions have been lost by some. The question arises how, why and by whom was it all allowed in the first instance? The municipal Inspectors are known for their hawk’s eye to detect even an inch of transgression of a door or a gate of a house under construction, then how can such huge structures like hotels and showrooms are ignored? Even a Kindergartener would smell corruption in such a scheme of affairs. 

Demolishing the encroachments only is, therefore, not enough. The concerned Municipal and Cantonment officials MUST also be RUTHLESSLY demolished to serve as a severe and exemplary deterrent for others in future. 

COL. RIAZ JAFRI (RETD),  

Rawalpindi, October 2.