KARACHI, April 17: A survey of Saddar Town shows that encroachment has become a thriving business in the town and it seems that repeated operations by the municipal administration could not produce desired results. The survey shows that all sorts of encroachers are active in the main markets, shopping complexes and other commercial places. Every inch of the market land in the Saddar area including Empress market, Electronic market, Regal Chowk have been occupied by them.
They have also encroached upon the footpaths around the Jamia cloth market, Light House, Boulton market, Mothan Das market on the M.A. Jinnah Road, Lea market, Khori garden, Khajoor bazaar.
It is noticed that a large number of shopkeepers have put up roadside stalls in complete violation of laws as customers prefer shopping at the roadside. People say that it is roaring business for shopkeepers and restaurant owners who are paid for parking of all kinds of vehicles in front of their establishments.
Complete chaos is witnessed during the peak hours of morning and evening when vehicles are parked in the middle of the road, blocking traffic flow in complete violation of rules. The police have miserably failed to take any notice of it.
For the past two years, the Saddar Town administration has launched several anti-encroachment campaigns to clear these markets.
But the encroachers have always frustrated the efforts of the town administration and staged a comeback and engaged in their usual business.
The Town Nazim, Mohammad Farooq Faria, conceded that encroachment had been a serious and the biggest problem the municipal administration was faced with for the past few years and it had initiated drastic action against encroachers in Saddar. He said the town municipal administration had removed many chronic encroachment spots at a number of places.
However, he was of the view that the problem could not be solved by the town alone unless other government agencies play their due role.
Mr Faria said that the Saddar Town was the busiest trading and commercial centre of Karachi comprising main shopping centres such as the Empress market, Bohri Bazaar, Karim centre, Jama cloth, Light House, Burns Road, Urdu Bazaar, Khajoor Bazaar, Mothan Das Market, Khardar-Mithdar and Clifton.
Saddar Town is considered as a VIP town because of its commercial and historical importance. It houses important government buildings and offices.
Included among historical places are the birth place of Quaid-i-Azam, Wazir Mansion, Khaliqdina Hall, Mohatta Palace, Jehangir Kotare Parade, Jinnah Court, Sindh Madressatul Islam and the defunct KMC elegant building, city and cantt stations.
Being a hub of commercial and employment centre, the town has become a congested place and encroachment has become a flourishing business. A social worker remarked that it was a multi-million business.
According to the town nazim, the outdated sewerage system also needed overhauling as it did not meet the needs of a growing population.
He said the sewerage system in the old town areas had also utterly failed, saying that if immediate steps were not taken, it would create havoc during the rainy season.
The nazim also suggested that steps should be taken to replace the old water pipelines which were the main source of contamination and new PMTs be installed to improve power supply system.
The town nazim said despite financial constraints, his administration had implemented several development projects costing billion of rupees to improve infrastructure facilities.
Among the civic works programme, he said, priority was given to road networks and water and sewerage lines.
