KARACHI: The shopkeepers and traders displaced and affected during the anti-encroachment operation at Empress Market and in other parts of the city may heave a sigh of relief as the authorities concerned decided on Thursday that balloting for allocating alternative places to them would be held shortly.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting attended by Special Assistant to Chief Minister Waqar Mehdi, Mayor Wasim Akhtar, Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani and other senior officials.

Official sources said the meeting was held to review the strategy of a rehabilitation plan at the Commissioner Office.

They said Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saif-ur-Rehman had informed participants of the meeting that alternative places would be provided to the affected shopkeepers in accordance with their former location and size of business.

The officials added that all required details of the affected shopkeepers and their respective businesses had been collected and the balloting would be held soon.

They said restoration of the iconic Empress Market as a historical heritage site was also reviewed in detail in the meeting and it was decided that the plan would be implemented with the coordination of the provincial culture department.

Meanwhile, several encroachments on footpaths and drains were removed by the KMC’s anti-encroachment staff in different parts of the city’s business district, including Khori Garden, Plastic Market and Denso Hall.

Beside, an illegal bus terminal was demolished at Shirin Jinnah Colony.

Heavy traffic issue

Meanwhile, the city and municipal administrations decided to expedite the shifting of inter-city bus terminals to the outskirts of the city.

Officials said the city administration had prepared an action plan to overcome the nuisance of frequent traffic jams in the city due to heavy traffic.

They said that the action plan was discussed at length at a meeting with Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani in the chair.

They said the mayor and commissioner would present the action plan to regulate traffic in the Sindh High Court on Friday (today).

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2018