KARACHI, Sept 13: The longstanding problem of traffic congestion in Saddar cannot be eased unless parking plazas are constructed at all entry points of the city's main business town, said the city government's transport department chief.“While it is already difficult to drive or walk in Saddar due to increased traffic congestion, the situation will worsen if timely steps are not taken,” said Iftikhar Kaimkhani, while speaking to .

He said the entry points of Saddar were Lucky Star, Capri Cinema, Regal Chowk, Passport Office, and Saddar Dawakhana.

He said if parking plazas were constructed at all the five entrances and the area was declared a pedestrian zone, not only area residents but also motorists and pedestrians who find it difficult to drive or walk through the area would benefit.

The transport official said the city government had so far covered the Dawakhana side only by establishing a parking plaza there to accommodate at least 600 vehicles. Another parking plaza was planned just behind the Empress Market to provide parking space for around 2,000 vehicles, but work on its construction was suspended after the matter was taken to court, he said, expressing the hope that work would resume as soon as the case was decided.

He said that since both the plots of land were city government's property, it took the initiative without any delay. However, he added, parking space was required in the vicinity of other entry points – passport office, Lucky Star, Regal Chowk, Capri cinema – where the city government did not own any piece of land or any property.

Mr Kaimkhani said that the Sindh government as well as army, navy and other government departments had plots or old barracks there. He said parking plazas could be constructed there by allotting alternative pieces of land to the owners.

He said that an open plot near the Capri cinema along the M. A. Jinnah road had already been earmarked for transport facilities, where a parking plaza or transport-related facilities could be established to ease traffic congestion in the middle of the commercial area.

The official was of the view that even private parties could be offered incentives such as provision of additional space for residential and commercial use for construction of parking plazas.

He said that the city government had also entered into an agreement with a private party for the construction of a parking plaza in the Baradari portion of the old polo ground park. He added that steps would be taken to ensure its timely completion.Asked how the proposed additional parking plazas would help in lessening traffic congestion when the plaza that was built more than a year ago still remained underutilised, he said in mitigation that traffic police needed to be made accountable for ineffective enforcement of a ban on parking on certain roads in Saddar. He said the low occupancy of the parking plaza was a result of the negligence of traffic police. He added that the traffic police looked the other way when motorists flouting the parking ban left their vehicles on roads, creating a traffic mess.

He said unless traffic police ensured that vehicles were parked only at the designated places, traffic chaos would continue to trouble area residents and market visitors. However, he was of the view that motorists would prefer parking their vehicles in the proposed plazas if they found one at each entrance of Saddar.

Two other plazas

He said the city government would build a parking plaza near Jheel Park in the Tariq Road area also. Currently, he said, its designs were being prepared and relevant approvals sought. Once constructed, the plaza would result in smooth flow of traffic on Tariq Road, a major commercial area in the midtown.

Besides, he said that a parking plaza at the Civic Centre had also been proposed to facilitate public visits to government offices.