KARACHI, June 18: A 7,000 square yards community centre plot, meant for holding social gatherings and functions for residents of Adamjee Nagar's Kathiawar Co-operative Housing Society, is being converted into a huge marriage hall.

According to residents, the community centre's plot, situated in Adamjee Nagar, Block-B, has recently been rented out by KCHS personnel to a group who owns more than 50 marriage halls in the city, and the group is carrying out construction work in the community centre to convert it into a lavish marriage hall.

However, residents of the locality apprehend that with its conversion into a marriage hall, they would be exposed to a number of problems such as traffic jams, parking problems, use of firecrackers at wedding ceremonies, and loud speakers in late night functions.

"One can imagine the nuisance the upcoming marriage hall will create for us, because there will be marriage ceremonies and other functions almost every night at the cost of our peace. Whereas, we used to have only one function in a week at the community centre, and only residents of the locality used to attend," a concerned resident remarked.

"We are already facing a host of problems because Hamdard University's city campus, being run on commercial basis on a plot meant for a health clinic, is also located on the same street where the community centre exists," an elderly person of the KCHS grumbled, and queried "weather it is fair to run commercial ventures in residential areas".

Asked if residents of the locality had ever brought the issue to the notice of Karachi Building Control Authority, a resident of the locality replied in affirmative, saying KBCA after hearing their plea about two months back had demolished about 75 per cent of the structure built in connection with marriage hall.

However, the marriage hall's construction work after remaining suspended for about two months had begun once again in connivance with KBCA officials concerned, they alleged.

They feared if KBCA or the city government failed to take timely action against the marriage hall, it would be complete within a month, as the pace of work was in full swing.

They said though the marriage hall would become a permanent nuisance for residents of KCHS, those residing in adjacent houses - Nos 215/1, 215/2 (ST Apartments) - and other adjoining houses would suffer most, as under the plan, the new gate of the marriage hall was to be installed just in front of their main gates, and thus their privacy would also be usurped.

They demanded of the city nazim and KBCA chief controller to direct the officials concerned to immediately bring a halt to the marriage hall's construction, so they could heave a sigh of relief.