Foot the bill: City set to clear hawkers from Saddar in massive pedestrian plan

Cars will not be allowed in front of Empress Market and Bohri Bazaar.

KARACHI:

The government has started consultations with different stakeholders to turn Saddar into a pedestrian zone.

Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan has granted a special package of Rs100 million for the project.

On Friday, Commissioner Roshan Ali Shaikh met deputy commissioners, office bearers of unions, consultants, police and traffic officials to discuss it.

“No vehicle will be able to enter the zone and its proper jurisdiction will be earmarked in another meeting to be held next week,” an official told The Express Tribune. More parking plazas will be built from where shuttle services will be started to pick and drop shopkeepers. The city government’s earlier parking plaza projects have, however, not met with the success that was expected.

At the meeting, officials discussed how “wide” and “beautiful” roads as well as footpaths would be constructed and there will be heavy penalties for those who park their vehicles there.

According to the plan, food corners will be set up in the area by declaring it traffic-free to attract local and international business.

According to the planners, no one will have permission to park their vehicle in front of Empress Market, Bohri Bazaar, Mochi Gali, Preedy Street, Zaibunissa Street and surrounding areas.

Action would be taken against encroachment by shifting vendors and pushcarts to other locations. These ‘informal’ sellers form a large part of Saddar’s economy, however.

The consultant for the project Masoor Siddiqui said that it is still at the initial stages. “Encroachment is one of the big problems,” he said. “We have started meeting different stakeholders including the unions, government officials and political parties who are backing the people involved in the menace. All stakeholders have assured of cooperation to change Saddar from a car-oriented place to a people-friendly place.”

He said that the government would try to minimise the traffic flow from Abdullah Haroon Road and Garden Road. He said that old buildings will be preserved and renovated and a shuttle service will be started from the Parking Plaza to Preedy Street.

The first parking plaza was built in Saddar in 2009 at a cost of Rs700 million. But it has failed to attract people. Its parking free (Rs10 to Rs20) has been set for an initial three hours. There is a one-time parking charge of Rs10) for motorcycles.

“There is a ban on parking on some major roads, but no one cares and the police have failed to implement the orders,” said Rizwan Farooque, an office bearer of the Empress Market Association.

“The plan is good, but we need implementation on it. Otherwise it will face the same fate as the parking plaza.”

Commissioner Roshan Shaikh said that all political parties and associations have expressed willingness to convert Saddar, a model shopping market for people across the social spectrum. “We are putting all our efforts into making it a congestion-free zone,” he said. “We want to make it a pedestrian area with all facilities so that people can go for shopping in modern malls and where families will enjoy the latest shopping malls.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2012.