March 29, 2002	Friday	Muharram 14, 1423

KARACHI, March 28: The Lyari Town administration’s move to shift goods transporters from the residential areas has failed as transporters are reluctant to move.

During the last two months, the town administration said the transporters ignored their call and were not cooperating with the administration.

The town officials conceded that the operation of goods carriers in the residential areas had been posing a health hazard and were damaging roads and other utility services.

In January last, the administration had issued a warning to the transporters to shift their businesses from the residential areas since it had become a public nuisance .

Following a joint meeting between the town officials and representatives of the transport sector, a two-week time-frame was given to transporters to give them some breathing space so that they could take a final decision on the shifting process.

The meeting was attended by the Nazims of all the union councils of the Town and representatives of transport bodies and officials of Lyari Town.

The meeting was informed that all goods transporters were allotted alternative plots at a cheaper rates in 1996 by the defunct KMC on a 100-acre land on the main Hawkesbay Road.

Later, iron barriers were erected in surrounding areas of Lea Market and some streets of Haat Chowk to stop the good carriers in the narrow areas of the locality.

Despite this, by and large the goods carriers continue to operate in major arteries of the town, such as Lea Market, Sheedi village, Chawkiwara, Mewashah Road and Shah Waliullah Road.

Not only that after the operation of Saddar Town against these transporters, the volume of transporters’ activity in the locality had increased as some of the transporters had opened their booking offices in the locality.

The representatives of the community-based organizations have urged the government to immediately shift the transport business from the residential areas to save the people from health hazards.

They also said the transporters had occupied roads and streets unauthorisedly and were creating hindrances in the smooth traffic flow.

They were of the view that the goods transporters had no legal and ethical reasons to stay in the residential areas and they continue their businesses.

The decade-old trucking business has defaced the old city areas and despite repeated protests by the people for shifting of the business, the administration had failed to remove the powerful mafia.

Over the years, Lea Market, Haat Chowk and Chawkiwara and its adjoining residential areas had become a hub of transport activity.

The Saddar Town took a bold step a few months back against the powerful mafia in the old city areas which come under the jurisdiction of Saddar Town.

After the “successful operation” in Saddar Town area, the residents of Lyari Town have been demanding the municipal authorities to launch a similar operation in the locality.

In 1998, after a stern warning from the administration, nearly 80 per cent transporters had shifted to the new site, but it could not affect their activities in the residential areas of Lyari.