KARACHI, Oct 1: The menace of encroachments has increased manifold in various towns of the city during Ramazan, putting lives of the pedestrians at risk as they are being left with no choice but to walk on roads amidst fast-moving vehicles.
These encroachments and insufficient number of pedestrian bridges at various busy thoroughfares are resulting into the deaths of two to three pedestrians almost on a daily basis.
Moreover, the absence of zebra crossings at many important traffic intersections and lax of enforcement of traffic rules concerning zebra crossing on the part of the police, has also been resulting into the deaths of and injuries to pedestrians.
Reports appearing in newspapers not only point out the horrible statistic about the pedestrians being killed or injured every day but also indicate that the number of accidents involving pedestrians has exceeded the number of those being killed in accidents involving vehicles.
Most of the victims include female students of colleges, working women and elderly persons.
A visit to different parts of the city revealed that a large number of footpaths had been heavily occupied by car showrooms, shopkeepers, various food outlets and other makeshift shops while a number of busy arteries of the metropolis usually remained encroached upon by pushcarts selling fruit, vegetables and other eatables.
The manner in which footpaths along many roads have been occupied sparks fears that if the trend continues unabated for some more time without any action from the relevant authorities, no place will be left for the pedestrians in the city.
A number of footpaths of busy thoroughfares including those running parallel to Mohammad Bin Qasim Road (from Fresco Chowk to Jamia Cloth Market), Urdu Bazar Road, Jamshed Road, New M. A. Jinnah Road (from Dawood College of Engineering and Technology to Jail traffic intersection), Khalid Bin Waleed Road (from Noorani Kabab House up to KB Waleed-Shaheed-i-Millat Road traffic intersection) and a major portion of main University Road (from Hassan Square to Ashfaq Memorial hospital), have already been disappeared owing to either the construction of illegal shops or mushroom growth of car showrooms, restaurants, barbecue and other food outlets, literally leaving no space for the pedestrians.
As far as Shaheed-i-Millat Road is concerned, it would the instructive to recall that the road was reconstructed under the defunct KMC’s much publicised Long-Life Road Project but without any footpath on either side of the road.
A number of concerned Karachiites held the ‘land-use charges’ responsible for the situation. They said that the trend of encroaching upon footpaths had, in fact, spurred after the defunct KMC’s former senior director (Land) had allowed roadside hotels, barbecue outlets, restaurants and tea stalls after levying the land-use charges.
The land-use charges are calculated in proportion to the number of chairs these roadside hotels, barbecue outlets, etc, place on footpaths to serve their customers.
