KARACHI: In a move to tackle one of the Karachi’s most pressing urban issues, Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has written a letter to Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, urging him to allocate two Pakistan Railway (PR) plots to the Karachi Metropolitan Corpo­ration (KMC) for the construction of multi-storied parking plazas.

The proposed sites are the Railway Ground opposite the City Railway Station and a piece of land adjacent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on I. I. Chundrigar Road.

The mayor’s letter highlights the grave problem of traffic congestion and acute shortage of parking facilities in Karachi, especially in the commercial hub surrounding I. I. Chundrigar Road.

The mayor’s formal request came months after he publicly sought approval from Islamabad to use the PR land on I.I. Chundrigar Road to build a parking facility to ease traffic congestion in the locality.

The letter highlights the severe impact of unregulated traffic and limited parking in the area surrounding I. I. Chundrigar Road, home to some of the country’s most vital financial and commercial institutions. These include “head offices of all major banks in Pakistan, PSX, chamber of commerce and industries, City Railway Station and other important businesses,” all of which “are situated on the said road”.

Wahab says KMC, Sindh govt lack spaces for parking of vehicles at I.I. Chundrigar Road

The mayor observed that “it is a daunting task for the management of Karachi to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the area because of the number of vehicles and limited parking spaces”.

He proposed that this chronic issue “can be addressed by creating parking facilities”, a solution hindered only by the lack of available land with the KMC or the Sindh government.

However, the letter identifies a viable opportunity: “vacant land is available with PR that may be utilised for construction of parking plazas”.

Specifically, the mayor pointed to the “Railway Ground situated opposite to City Railway Station and land adjacent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange” as ideal sites.

He noted that these lands are currently being utilised — with the Railway Ground “primarily used for private functions” and the PSX-adjacent plot “used as an unregulated parking space”.

In his formal request to the railways minister, the mayor wrote: “Accordingly, I request you to kindly consider smart and efficient use of railway lands in the best interest of the city and handover 2.5 acres each from the land to the KMC as a G2G [government to government] arrangement in the best interest of the people of Karachi and facilitating business activities in the larger interest of our beloved Pakistan”.

He also acknowledged the PR’s recent strides toward modernisation, saying: “I am cognisant of the fact that Pakistan Railways is determined to enter a new era of service delivery under the current leadership.”

The mayor emphasised that with “increased port activity at Karachi Port, business activity would further increase in the adjoining I. I. Chundrigar Road and City Railway Station,” cautioning that this growth “would mean that traffic problems are to aggravate further and can only be addressed by providing smart and efficient solutions”.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025