WHILE the action to remove encroachments from Empress Market is a welcome move, I think it is harsh not to rehabilitate those who were earning their livelihood through this premises. Also there should have been a widespread broadcast of anti-encroachment notices before the start of such a campaign. Signboards and properties of those inside the building have also been damaged.
After all, Pakistan is a Third World country, and while unlawful practices should be penalised, choking people’s earning source is not the purpose of this drive. They should be compensated in some way.
Sani-e-Zehra Rizvi
Karachi
(2)
IT is imperative that the anti-encroachment drive is stopped immediately as it has endangered the livelihoods of the poor and daily wage earners on the roads, highways and main markets of the city.
The demolition of Empress Market should not have happened in the first place. With so many people involved, we should have shifted the pre-partition structure to another location. How is it possible that the 1,000 shops were not taxed or granted legal cover?
Action against vendors on streets should be delayed till a budget is improved for widening roads. There is no need to demolish anything on a wide road if it has a narrow carpeted portion…unless there are plans to carpet it from end to end on both sides.
Before destroying these places, we should carry out surveys, take the affected people into confidence, see what they want and what can be done and then carry on with the demolition.
The same happened to a poor sugarcane juice stall owner in Kasur and it upset me greatly. This injustice must stop.
Lt Col (retd) Chaudhry Shahid Nazir
Karachi
Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2018
