KARACHI, Oct 19: With the advent of Ramazan, the miseries of people living in old city areas have increased manifolds due to traffic chaos, particularly towards the sunset (Iftar).

More number of makeshift stalls on main roads selling food items and the vehicles parked haphazardly create massive traffic jams between 4pm and 6pm, as everybody hurries up to reach home before sunset.

Different stalls are set up on pavements or roadsides during Ramazan in Kharadar, Meethadar, Ranchore Line, Jubilee Cinema, and adjacent areas with a hope to earn maximum profits for celebrations of Eid. But, the practice brings problems to motorists and pedestrians for whom a very little space is left, most of them breaking fast on roads.

Most of the footpaths disappeared during the course of time and exclusive right of pedestrians is encroached upon by vendors and stall holders, compelling pedestrians to walk on main roads.

It seems that the town administration is absolutely powerless in improving or at least controlling this situation in this holy month.

Area residents say that encroachments are removed more than often by local government officials, but, the same reemerged with the connivance of police.

Some stall holders told PPI that they paid a fixed amount to different government agencies, including staff of city, town and police department to let them do their business. Traffic police officials also seem quite helpless in this situation as nobody is in a mood to respect their signals when iftar time approaches fast. Even one-way roads in these areas are used for two-way traffic, more particularly before sunset.

Potholes developed after every few yards on all the roads of the area add to miseries of motorists making them drive dead slow and get late.

Residents of the area say that the road leading to Jubilee Cinema from main Ranchore Line roundabout was recently constructed with MNAs' fund, but, soon afterwards it developed a number of potholes making it extremely difficult for commuters to pass by.

Local people urged City Nazim Naimatullah Khan to pay attention to these areas, being the oldest in the metropolis, and solve their problems so that they could observe the holy month with less disturbance and chaos around them. - PPI