Hotels, shops, marriage halls occupy Karachi’s 80% footpaths

December 21, 2009
By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: Encroachment of public places, such as footpaths, link roads and main roads, all over the city has become a menace.

Concerned town municipal administrations (TMAs) of the City District Government Karachi have failed to fulfil their responsibilities regarding removal of such encroachments.

A well-placed officer in the CDGK Land Revenue Department said around 150 marriage halls, and barbeque hotels, restaurants and burger stalls have encroached more than 80 percent of the city’s footpaths on either side of the roads and in the middle as well.

He cited that the highest number of such violations could be observed in the towns of North Nazimabad and Gulberg - from Gulberg Chowrangi to Samanabad, from Ayesha Manzil to Yaseenabad, from Ancholi to Gulberg Chowrangi and from Water Pump to the entire rear side of Yousuf Plaza.

He said the city’s marriage halls generally and those particularly in the towns of Gulberg, North Nazimabad and Gulshan-e-Iqbal have been causing constant gridlocks, especially from Golden Gate near Matric Board Office to Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi in North Nazimabad and from Mukka Chowk to Yaseenabad in Gulberg Town.

He also said the encroachments were worst in North Nazimabad, as all barbeque hotels, shops and restaurants around Five Star Chowrangi, Pakistan Shipowners’ College and Landi Kotal Chowrangi had encroached every single footpath.

He further said the area in North Nazimabad from Five Star Chowrangi to Sakhi Hassan becomes blocked due to parking of hundreds of cars on both sides of the link roads and main roads.

It is the duty of concerned TMAs and DIG traffic to ensure the roads are clear, but unfortunately, the practice of parking vehicles on roads in front of the marriage halls continues and it is entirely basic human rights’ violation that the restaurants have encroached footpaths besides their premises for a petty fee, he added.

On New MA Jinnah Road in Jamshed Town there are no footpaths for the pedestrians as countless car showroom owners have occupied them, while a popular barbeque hotel near Allah Wala Chowrangi on Tariq Road had permanently occupied a link road, he said.