LAHORE Debris of hundreds of structures including shops, ramps, shades and stairs, demolished by the City District Government during drive against encroachments is causing massive inconvenience for Lahorites as the CDG teams equipped with latest machinery have failed to remove the material from operation sites, a survey conducted by TheNation revealed. It seemed the process of removing the debris from the operation sites was not part of the planning as the administration did not focus on this aspect of the campaign. Scattered fragments and leftover on important roads of the city exposed the performance and planning capabilities of the district administration. After the demolition, various sites were presenting the picture of calamity-hit areas as the scattered debris was not removed by the officials of SWM, sweepers of UCs, sanitary staff and any other body concerned. The operation also exposed the civic sense of the citizens because the anti-encroachment teams found thousands of bags full of garbage and home waste on shades of shops when they started removing illegally erected structures during the operation. The residents threw home waste on shades of shops which were presenting the picture of dumping sites. Residents and shopkeepers of different areas of the city while giving details of anti-encroachment operations told this scribe that 'they come, start operation, demolish shops, ramps, shades, stairs and remove signboards, pushcarts, counters, tables, chairs, doors, windows and other items and leave the site after completing operation within half an hour. However, the people strongly appreciated the step of the government regarding removal of illegal structures on government land which were causing massive nuisance not only for the commuters but also for the pedestrians. They further commented that such encroached footpaths and roads by the stallholders and pushcart vendors was one of the main causes of traffic jams on city roads. But they regretted that the authorities did not focus on removing the debris and other waste after the operation. Muhammad Ayaz, a social worker, said when the shopkeepers and residents of surrounding localities go to the officials of their concerned UCs for getting the debris removed, they refuse saying it was not responsibility of the government officials but the owners of the property. However, they are ready to remove the material if they are offered some money, he added. Another affected shopkeeper said it was not fair on the part of government to impound their iron shades, windows or doors after demolishing the structures. Most of the shopkeepers were ready to remove their shades but the cost of removing each shade was not less than Rs 3,000. That is why they remained reluctant to remove shades from their shops, he concluded. When this scribe tried to contact District Coordination Officer Ahad Cheema for his version, he was busy in a meeting.