KARACHI: The city administration has decided to permanently remove the bird market from Liaquatabad — which is held there every week on Sundays along the road — to ease the traffic flow in the congested locality.

Presiding over a meeting on Saturday, Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi expressed concern and displeasure over the frequent re-emergence of the makeshift bird market in the vicinity on Sundays that caused severe traffic congestion in parts of district Central, besides being the bane of area residents around Shahrah-i-Pakistan.

He directed the district Central deputy commissioner (DC) to take action along with officials of the wildlife department to permanently remove the bird market.

The bird market had been removed several times in the past and last action by the administration was taken on April 28. The organisers and bird sellers had been warned against setting up the market again in the future.

Commissioner orders removal of encroachments throughout city

A press statement said that the meeting also decided to continue the drive for removal of ‘soft encroachments’ causing traffic congestion across the city.

DC-Keamari Junaid Khan told the meeting participants that encroachments had been removed from 12 roads and service roads in the district, including SITE Rashidabad and Manghopir Road.

He said that truck parking had also been removed from the road and service road at the Hawkesbay Truck Stand.

The meeting participants were informed that encroachments on six roads and streets in district Korangi were removed while 13 anti-encroachment operations were conducted in district Malir which included the removal of encroachment under the Quaidabad Flyover.

DC-South Altaf Sario said that they had taken action to remove encroachments causing traffic congestion from the roads including Akbar Road, Abdullah Haroon Road, M.A. Jinnah Road, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Garden Nishtar Road, Chakiwara, and Paper Market.

According to deputy commissioner of East, encroachments were removed from Continental Hotel Bakery Road, Khudadad Colony, Soldier Bazaar, and other areas in the district.

He said that barriers established by citizens in various streets of Gulshan Iqbal had also been removed.

The meeting decided that action would be taken against encroachments from Hassan Square to Nipa Chowrangi.

DC-Central Fawad Ghaffar Somroo said that action against encroachers was taken at Water Pump, Ayesha Manzil and Five Star Chowrangi.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2024