ILLEGAL encroachments in Punjab no longer begin from markets or shopping plazas. They begin from the gates of our own homes. In almost every city, town and village, people have built ramps, staircases, cemented slopes, iron platforms and extended entrances outside their houses, occupying public streets as if those spaces were part of their private property. Roads built with taxpayers’ money are meant for pedestrians, ambulances, schoolchildren, drainage flow and public movement, yet many citizens behave as though the street outside their gate belongs exclusively to them.
This is not just a municipal issue; it is a reflection of national behavior. Today someone builds a small ramp, tomorrow the porch extends outward, then a wall moves ahead and eventually public land disappears piece by piece. The painful reality is that many among us neither fear the law nor feel guilty about violating the rights of others. We complain about traffic congestion, flooded streets, blocked drainage and unsafe roads, while contributing to the very disorder we criticize. A single illegal ramp can narrow an already crowded street, obstruct rainwater flow and create difficulties for elderly people, disabled citizens, ambulances and fire brigades.
More alarming is the fact that such encroachments have become socially acceptable. Instead of embarrassment, people proudly display how far their staircase or gate extends into the road. Since so many are involved, society rarely questions it anymore. But no province can claim to be modern or civilized while public spaces remain under private occupation.
This is where Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has an opportunity to bring a real cultural change. Her government has already shown seriousness regarding cleanliness campaigns, urban management and anti-encroachment drives, but one important challenge still remains untouched: reclaiming residential streets from illegal occupation. This task will not be easy because resistance will come from ordinary citizens themselves. Emotional arguments will be made in defense of these structures, yet no disciplined society allows individuals to occupy public land for personal convenience. Across the developed world, even minor encroachments beyond property lines invite penalties because roads, footpaths and drainage systems are treated as public trust. Punjab today stands at a similar crossroads. Either the writ of law reaches the streets and neighborhoods, or public spaces will continue shrinking inch by inch. The Punjab government should launch a province-wide operation against illegal residential ramps, staircases and extensions built on roads and streets. Notices should be issued, reasonable time given and then demolition carried out without discrimination between rich and poor or influential and ordinary citizens.
Nations are not judged only by mega projects and speeches. They are judged by whether citizens respect what belongs to everyone. If Punjab truly wants to become cleaner, safer and more organized, then the culture of treating public streets as private inheritance must come to an end.
—The writer is former Regional Executive Inclusive Development at NBP, Mirpur AK.
