KARACHI: Lea Market bus terminus antagonizes area people
By Latif Baloch
KARACHI, June 16: Lea Market is not merely a shopping area, it has become a huge bus terminus causing noise and air pollution.
For quite some time, area people have been pressurizing the authorities concerned for shifting of the transport business from their locality, but, the indifferent attitude of government is multiplying their problems.
Area people said that Lea Market, once a shopping centre for local people, had turned into a biggest bus terminus in the city. A survey conducted by this scribe shows that a number of local inter-city and inter-province buses, coaches and minibuses either terminate or start their journey from this area.
Besides, a number of local buses and minibuses make their intermediate stops here or pass through the market. With the huge expansion in trade and transport activity over the last three decades, the whole locality has been turned into one of the most congested areas of the city.
Area residents complained that the increasing number of buses left little space for parking. It is observed that buildings have been constructed on all the open spaces, which were previously used for parking purpose, leaving bus-operators with no choice but to park their vehicles on roadside. This is one of the major reasons of traffic congestion in the area.
The survey shows that local buses and minibuses terminating their journey here are plied from Landhi, Malir, Quaidabad, Gaddap and Korangi. Besides, the buses for inter-city routes arrive here from Thatta, Sajawal, Banu, Sewan and other parts of interior Sindh, although there is a small parking plot available for these buses.
Upcountry bound buses here also arrive from or depart for various cities of Balochistan and the NWFP, including Hub, Lasbela, Khuzdar, Turbat, Quetta, Gwadar, Mansehra and Peshawar.
The number of these buses has increased manifolds during the last decade, as people working in the factories of Hub and Bela come here daily for their routine journey to Balochistan.
These inter-province buses are not only parked on Sheedi Village Road and Chakiwara Road, but, also on the link roads such as Mir Mohammad Baloch Road and D.D. Chaudhry Road.
The transport activity goes on all the day and night. In addition to the routine traffic congestion, the unplanned transport activity in this locality are the major sources of air and noise pollution.
It is also observed that encroachers have occupied every inch of land near Lea Market either by force or by greasing palms of local police. According to the area people, the encroachment business is worth millions of rupees.
