KARACHI, Sept 15: Lea Market has been converted into a big bus terminus, where the transport mafia reigns supreme and virtually controls all the important arteries leading to Saddar and Lyari Towns.

Over the past few years, the mafia’s power seems to have increased so much that it started challenging the writ of civil authority, as it foiled repeated attempts to stop its operation in the residential areas.

The situation has deteriorated further in Lea Market and its adjoining areas over the past few months, as the mafia now has total control on every inch of land of the market, as well as its routes.

A survey showed that transporters regularly flout all traffic rules, as the police fail to take any notice. It was observed that all types of vehicles — both from city routes and upcountry — arrive here. Complete chaos is witnessed during the peak hours of the morning and evening, when upcountry transporters park their vehicles in the middle of roads, blocking traffic flow in complete violation of the rules.

Area people allege that police do not take notice of such violations because of their collusion with the transport mafia, which has become so powerful that it now controls all routes in the surroundings of the market, where they park their vehicles without any fear of authority.

Admitting that they have failed to shift the transport business from the residential areas, municipal authorities blamed the police for their non-cooperative attitude in this regard.

The unnatural division of Lyari Town, depriving it from its main commercial area — Lea Market — and merging it into Saddar Town has further complicated the problems for the administrations’ of both towns.

Under the new arrangement, the main market areas comes under the jurisdiction of Saddar Town, while the main routes comes under Lyari Town.

The municipal administrations of both the towns had issued several orders for shifting of the transport business from the residential areas, but on every occasion the city or town administration had succumbed to pressure. Even orders from the higher courts could not have any impact on the situation.

Because of their powerful connections and political reasons, the mafia had always ignored the orders of the city government and town administration.

The mafia had always played tricks whenever an attempt was made by the authorities to shift them.

They moved the courts to seek an interim stay-order to stop the ongoing operation.

After that, sheer blackmailing tactics were adopted by issuing a strike call, forcing the administration not to take any action because of “fear of (a) possible law and order problem.”

Over the years, Lea Market has turned into one of the biggest termini in the city, where a number of local inter-city and inter-province buses, along with mini-buses either terminate or start their journey.

Besides, a number of local buses and mini-buses make their intermediate stops here, or pass through Lea Market. The situation has turned the area into one of the most congested in the city.

Local buses terminating here ply from Landhi, Malir, Quaidabad, Gadap, Korangi etc. All these buses are parked on the roadside, which is one of the main reasons of traffic congestion in the area.

The buses plying on inter-city routes depart or arrive here mainly from the interior of Sindh, including from Thatta, Sujawal and Sehwan. There is a small open plot available for parking of these buses, which is insufficient.

Besides, buses arrive or depart here from various cities of Balochistan and the NWFP, including Hub, Lasbela, Khuzdar, Turbat, Quetta, Gwadar and Peshawar.

For the last decade, the number of these buses has increased manifold, as a large number of workers from various parts of Karachi come here for their journey to Hub and Bela. These buses park at Sheedi Village Road and Chawkiwara Road, and are gradually encroaching on the old tonga stand.

Area people have been consistently demanding that the transport business should be shifted from the residential areas to save them from environmental pollution.