KARACHI, Sept 5: The menace of encroachments on major roads of the city and pavements of busy commercial centres has assumed an alarming proportion, creating hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic and hardships to pedestrians and customers.

A number of pushcarts often remain present all around busy traffic intersections and roundabouts. Besides, the drivers of buses, minibuses and coaches have made it a practice to lift and drop passengers from the turnings of traffic intersections, thereby, creating chaotic conditions around traffic intersections.

The roads and their pavements, which have been heavily encroached upon, include Karimabad's Meena Bazaar, Bazaar-i- Faisal, main streets of Federal B' Area's Block 7, especially those situated in the vicinity of Aisha Manzil traffic intersection, Liaquatabad No 10 traffic intersection, main University Road (from Hassan Square to Ashfaq Memorial Hospital), Shahrah-i-Liaquat, and Mohammad Bin Qasim Road (formerly known as Burnes Road).

Some of these busy roads and their pavements, often littered with dirt and filth, have been converted into so-called food streets. Presence of such a large scale encroachments on various major roads, which are the main arteries of different localities, was not only a cause of traffic jams but also a source of filthy environment at such places.

Though the town administrations concerned often remove encroachments from their respective jurisdictions, no serious efforts have been made so far to remove the encroachments and ensure that the same may not reemerge on permanent basis.

Besides, the half-hearted anti-encroachment campaigns which the different towns launch have, in fact, become a laughing stock as these drives are now described as "attempts to increase the rate of 'Bhatta'" by citizens.