KARACHI, Oct 19: Transport business is still being carried out in the residential areas of old city, specially in Nanakwara, Chandbibi Road, Kharadar, etc, despite a ban imposed by the administration some time ago.

According to the Saddar Town Nazim, Mohammad Farooq Memon, transporters have established mini-truck stands in these residential areas that, on the one hand, cause traffic hazards and on the other, are a constant source of public nuisance because of loading and unloading activities carried out on footpaths and roads.

In a letter to City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan and the District Coordination Officer, Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, the Saddar Town Nazim recalled that the defunct KMC and the then administration had ordered shifting of goods transporters to the new truck terminal built at Hawkesbay in 1996, by allotting them sufficiently-sized plots to carry out their transport business.

Consequently, he said more than 80 per cent of the transporters have shifted to the new terminal by winding up business in the city and the Mauripur Road terminal.

However, he added that some of the transporters were still carrying out business in the city under one pretext or the other, although they have been provided alternate facilities and arrangements at the Hawkesbay terminal.

Mr Memon maintained that it is high time to effectively curb the activity of transport business in residential areas and those found violating the ban must be dealt with an iron hand.

He urged all the concerned authorities to impose complete ban on transport business activities in old city areas before the commencement of the month of Ramazan, in order to provide relief to the general public.

The decision regarding shifting of the truck stand was approved by the KMC Council on April 22, 1996, and was incorporated in its CR No 503.

However, the shifting process kept on getting delayed. Though many of the allottees have shifted their business to the new site, about 30 per cent are still operating from the old site.

Presently, Kharadar, Mithadar, Chandbibi Road, Nanakwara, Lea Market, Aath Chowk and Sheedi Village Road are the hub of transport activity.

Living conditions at these locations have become extremely difficult for the area residents as heavy vehicles operate on the inter-old city routes, damaging roads as well as utility services.

Despite public outcry, this kind of business activity persists and has become a public nuisance in congested localities, besides creating traffic hazards. Disruptions in the smooth flow of traffic have also become quite common.

Another curse is the existing facility of warehousing in the old city areas which has further deteriorated the living conditions there. Due to storage facility, the entire area is now occupied by transporters and has become unsuitable for residential purposes.

The residents have been pressing hard for quite some time for complete shifting of the transport and its allied businesses, as well as the warehouse facility from the old city areas, but the KMC and the administration succumbed to pressure and accepted “illegal demands”.

The residents argued that there was no justification in carrying out transport business in the old city area as all the genuine demands of the transporters had already been met.