KARACHI, Jan 19: Mushroom growth of auto-workshops and garages, set up illegally, particularly in the old residential areas of the city, are a great source of public nuisance, besides polluting the environment.

A survey shows that residents of these areas are tortured by the smoke-emitting vehicles, honking of buses, noisy garages and workshops because of round-the-clock repair and maintenance works being done along roadsides and in open areas.

It is observed that lack of designated bus terminuses has resulted in the growth of auto-workshops and garages in the residential areas, offering repair facility.

This "ugly" situation, a resident remarked, has virtually blurred the difference between commercial and residential areas. Most of these workshops do not pay any municipal taxes and carry their business illegally on open spaces and roads in total violation of traffic rules.

The situation has aggravated with the emergence of bus terminuses at Manghopir Road (Banaras Chowk), Lea Market, Mauripur Road, Taj Complex M.A.Jinnah Road, Cantt Station, Patel Para, Dawood Chowrangi, Landhi Town, main University road, near old Sabzi Mandi, and at some other parts of the city.

Despite frequent protest by the area people and several government pledges to shift these terminuses in the outskirts of the city, no development could be seen on the ground.

Residents said the inter-city bus terminuses and auto-workshops had made their life miserable. According to them, buses start honking and emitting smoke early in the morning and continue till late in the night, posing great health hazards to them.

A resident of the affected area said: "I do not understand why government is reluctant to shift these bus terminuses to the outskirts of the city." Either authorities were helpless against these transport operators or some vested interests were involved, he suspected.

Heavy traffic is seen at Taj Complex, MA Jinnah Road, where the whole area is occupied by large smoke-emitting buses and workshops and garages, where honking and noise of buses have made the lives of the residents miserable.

One could see waste and oil of the vehicles every where in the area, that not only presents an ugly scene, but also exposes the motorcyclists and pedestrians to accidents due to the oil scattered everywhere.

In the Lea Market, one of the most congested area of the city, traffic jams have become order of the day due to parking of these buses alongside the main road, leaving very little space for the traffic and hindering smooth flow of it.

Hundreds of people, including pedestrians and motorists, have to face a lot of problems daily in the area, because of traffic congestion and roadside encroachments, a visit to the area shows.

Adding to the people's woes are the noise-emitting vehicles which are the perpetual source of concern for the residents. In most of the areas, the noise level is much higher than the average tolerable level, creating serious health problems.

The area people said that despite the tall claims made by the administration about controlling the environmental pollution, there seemed no plan to curb the menace and save the people from the health hazards.

Lea Market was one of the major centres, generating excessive noise pollution, causing serious health problems to the residents, the doctor added.

The situation in the locality has worsen because of an increase in transport activity by the upcountry transporters, who have converted the whole area into a big terminus.

Because of hectic transport activity, a mushroom growth of auto-workshops and garages also emerged in the residential areas of the Lyari Town. Hectic transport activity can also be witnessed at Patel Para, at Business Recorded Road, where long-distance bus operators, putting tables and chairs on the footpaths, are compelling the pedestrians to use the main road, exposing them to accidents. The residents of this locality are also the worst sufferers because of round-the-clock activity being carried out by auto-workshop owners.