KARACHI, Dec 14: Staff of the City District Government Karachi’s Enterprises and Investment promotion (E&IP) department on Thursday shut down 25 bachat bazaars being held on amenity plots, officials confirmed.
A CDGK spokesman said the action was taken after City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal issued directives to shut all Bachat Bazaars held on parks, playgrounds, greenbelts and service roads.
The E&IP officials removed such establishments from various parts of the city, including Malir, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Korangi, Orangi, Nazimabad and New Karachi.
A senior CDGK official said the campaign had primarily been launched to remove all the bazaars being held on illegal grounds.
There are around 125 to 130 such bazaars operating in the city, out of which not more than 50 have some documents that show they are organising the business on legal grounds, the official said.
He said many of the bachat bazaars had been issued prior notices to end their business but they turned a deaf ear to it and left no other option for the municipal authorities but to take action for their removal.
The CDGK officials said most of those bazaars were being held on amenity plots with some exception where private lands were being used for the purpose.
According to Hassan Naqvi, EDO E&IP, the numbers of such establishments had been on the rise and creating difficulties for the CDGK authorities to regulate it.
Our first target is to remove all the illegal bazaars being held illegally on the lands which are meant for amenity purposes, he said.
He said after the drive was completed, the CDGK would devise a policy to permit one or two bachat bazaars in each of the 18 towns.
With limited numbers of bachat bazaars, we’ll be able to regulate them more effectively to ensure that prices are affordable for the people and quality is uncompromised, said Mr Naqvi.
He said such illegal weekly bachat bazaars were not only disrupting the smooth flow of traffic but were also denying youngsters’ positive and healthy activities. The EDO said the operation would continue for a few more days until all such bazaars were closed down.
The CDGK also tried to regulate prices and quality at these bazaars but found it too difficult. Then the top municipal authorities decided to reduce their numbers to make it manageable and convenient for the people.
