KARACHI, Dec 2: Conversion of residential units into commercial centres and shops continues unabated in various residential areas of the city, thereby usurping the rights of privacy of residents of such localities.

Although in some cases owners of such commercial ventures have even grabbed a major portion of pavements while constructing shops in front of their ground floor houses, the officials of both the KBCA and the civic agency concerned seem least interested in taking any action against them.

The problem has assumed such an alarming proportion that in some localities one could see shops located after every three or four houses.

A visit to different localities will show that the streets where a number of illegal shops have sprung up have also become mini commercial centres as there is a trend that once shops are constructed in residential units, a number of pushcarts and pan shops also start doing business in the vicinity of such shops.

Residents of such localities said that such a trend had become a permanent nuisance for the their families as once commercial activities start taking place in a residential area, no one could check the entry of outsiders and anti-social elements.

The perturbed residents of different localities complained that since a number of shops had sprung up in residential units, particularly those situated on corners of their street, motorists entering those narrow streets often faced difficulties owing to pushcarts in front of such shops.

Citing an example in this regard, a resident of PECHS Block 2 said that a major street where Masjid-i-Tayyaba was located and which leads to Sharae Quaideen-Khalid Bin Waleed Road, often created hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic mainly because a number of shops had been built on either side of the street and pushcarts usually remained present in their vicinity. A similar chaotic condition could be seen in front of PECHS Senior Model School, another resident of the locality pointed out.

A visit to different localities, including PECHS blocks 2 and 6, Defence View Apartments, Federal B’ Area, North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Buffer Zone, will show that the trend of constructing shops in residential units is going on without any check, thus creating a number of problems for the residents of such localities.

Although there is a ban on conversion of residential plots into commercial ventures, owners of houses in some localities have constructed shops in front of their ground floors units. In some cases owners of houses have illegally occupied sufficient space of pavements, thereby forcing pedestrians to walk on street.