KARACHI, June 21: A major anti-encroachment operation in the Lyari Town was abandoned, unannounced, by the town administration, without any official version.

It was gathered that the operation was halted by the town administration because it did not receive adequate support and cooperation from the area police.

The operation was planned to remove encroachments from the main arteries of the town, which include the Sheedi Village Road, roundabout at Haat Chowk, Gadap bus stop, Azam Khan Road roundabout, Mirza Adam Khan, G Allana Road and Mauripur Road.

The operation was announced thrice, but every time it was postponed on one pretext or other. The transporters are the main encroachers in the area, who park their vehicles in the middle of roads on these important routes.

On April 2, during his visit to the Town, the deputy inspector general of the traffic police, who was accompanied by the Town Nazim, had found that unauthorized parking of trucks and trailers on both sides of the G Allana Road was obstructing traffic flow.

It was also observed that widespread encroachments and unauthorized parking on the Mirza Adam Khan Road were causing traffic problems.

At the Sheedi Village Road, the DIGP had noted that a large number of Hub Chowki and Quetta-bound buses were parked on the roundabout and around the Azam Khan Road.

Despite issuance of orders for immediate removal of these obstructions, no measure was taken to address the situation, while, town administration’s attempts to remove encroachments, received lukewarm support from the area police.

Area people have repeatedly pressed the town administration for shifting of transport business from the locality.

The Balochistan-based transporters say that they are willing to shift their business from the locality, provided the government shows willingness to provide them an alternative place at the Northern Bypass on Mauripur Road, or some place at Yusuf Goth in the Baldia Town.

But the residents of the area maintain that since the transporters have already been allotted plots at the new truck stand on the Hawksbay Road, there is no justification for them to stay.