KARACHI, March 23: The city government has dropped a plan to remove encroachments on a roundabout-turned-shopping centre at Malir’s Liaquat market.

The district administration east had earlier chalked out a plan to remove encroachments at Liaquat Market, but the plan could not materialize owing to poor law and order situation prevailing then.

The district administration had then called the office-bearers of the market committee and advised them to cooperate in their plan to remove encroachments, meant to improve the traffic flow at the roundabout.

The plan included removal of over 200 shops inside the roundabout- turned-shopping centre and the same number along a KMC maternity home and over 50 along the wall of a government secondary school.

The plan included widening of roads and side lanes after removal of encroachments, so that the loss in travel time by motorists and commuters could be checked in case of traffic jams at the roundabout.

About 200,000 vehicles pass through the road leading to Malir City in front of the Liaquat Market and there are complaints that due to encroachments along the roads traffic gets stuck up. Moreover, shopkeepers, too, spread paraphernalia of their shops on the road, thus causing traffic bottlenecks, and ultimate accidents.

These shops were built by a powerful land mafia, having the backing of a political party which had a great role in the locality during the last 12 years. Here shops were built after dismantling an abandoned office of a civic agency which was razed by the mafia using hammers and other equipment. The shops were later sold for Rs50,000 and 100,000 each and as a huge revenue was involved, people alleged the demolition was delayed in the past too.

The defunct KMC had earlier prepared drawings of unauthorized constructions for demolition and had submitted them to an ex-divisional magistrate of Model Colony.

Inquiries further revealed that the drawing which were later sent to the deputy commissioner East, who did not return them on the ground of law and order situation.

Meanwhile, shops are still changing hands and those who have purchased them earlier are selling them to other parties to save their money. In some cases, the mafia behind the sale had managed to prepare bogus papers for the shops.

Area people say if the demolition action is further delayed, the city government might not be able to remove them for ever because of complications because the shopkeepers have obtained power connections and in some cases, have other sorts of facilities too.

They have been further organizing themselves and have formed at unions who look after their interests and no government agency is able to check the occupation of government land.

Sources, however, said that any half-hearted attempt might be foiled by the land mafia.