KARACHI: Encroachment still major problem in Lyari Town
By Latif Baloch
KARACHI, Dec 4: Encroachment is one of the major problems in the old city area. According to residents, it is a thriving business involving million of rupees which could not be run without the support of “highups”.
Considering the previous experiences, they argue that as long as the authorities do not take it seriously, the problem could not be controlled at municipal level alone.
They were of the view that it needed a coordinate strategy by all concerned agencies, including provincial, city and town administration by mobilising all administrative machinery into full gear against the mafia.
Several anti-encroachment drive were launched in Saddar Town in the past, but the town administration faced lot of difficulties to consolidate its gains as it could not receive adequate response from other government agencies.
A survey of main market and shopping places of Saddar and Lyari towns shows that encroachers are still occupying the old spots and doing business as usual.
In Lyari Town, the situation is alarming where encroachers seem to be given a free hand as no serious operation has been taken against them so far. They have not only encroached upon main marketplaces, such as Lea Market, Sheedi Village Road, Haat Chowk, Karabai Karimji Road, Shah Waliuallah Road, but also footpaths of school buildings, hospitals and other public places in the town.
The situation is not different in Kharadar-Mithdar and busy Rachore Lane and Nankawara. Area people have urged the authorities to take a serious note of the situation and take early remedial steps to overcome this problem.
A survey of Lyari Town shows that encroachers have occupied footpaths around schools and hospitals in residential area by using open space for parking vehicles and establish road-side workshops.
Schoolchildren and visiting patients have been facing lot of problems due to parking of vehicles near the school or hospital gates.
Government school buildings situated on the main Chawkiwara Road, Juna Kumar Road, Shah Latif Bhittai Road, Lyari Degree College, Lyari Technical college have now become the common site for parking of vehicles.
“The encroachers are not only causing inconvenience and difficulties to passers-by, but at the same time they are also causing traffic congestion, a resident Imran Raj said.
“Virtually open spaces near public buildings are either controlled by transport mafia or “batha mafia” who take extortion money from vendors and hawkers and allowing them to continue their business,” said another resident.
The residents also allege that the transport mafia who reign supreme in the locality have a control over all the marketplaces, important roads, streets and congested areas of the town.
According to an NGO activist, Lyari has a population of 16,10,700 people. Its total area is 18,00 acre: 70 per cent is residential, 20 per cent industrial and commercial, 8.22 per cent health, education and graveyard and 1.78 per cent recreational.
Land encroachment on the municipal and government plots is one of the major problem in the town. A vast area of the municipal land in Lea Market area, Haat Chowk, Faqir Mohammad Dura Khan Road, Mirza Adam Khan Road Shah Waliullah Road, Chawkiwara Road, Juna Kumarwara Road and Mauripur Road has been controlled by transport mafia.
The situation in Saddar is not different where an organized mafia has been operating for quite a long time.
KARACHI, Dec 4: Encroachment is one of the major problems in the old city area. According to residents, it is a thriving business involving million of rupees which could not be run without the support of “highups”.
