The Eduljee Dinshaw charitable dispensary was built in 1882. It was the first major building in Karachi that was built in Italianate style. PHOTO: TOOBA MASOOD/EXPRESS
Under the shadow of the historical Eduljee Dinshaw charitable dispensary that has been lying vacant for several years now, a large number of quacks offer all kinds of cures to ailments ranging from male hormonal problems to dental diseases.
As the Saddar revival plan kicks off, this historical building will be among several in the area to get a facelift. The main features of the project include re-routing public transport, developing Saddar into a pedestrian zone and introducing traditional trams, or the newer electric carts, as the mode of transportation.
"We also plan to develop art and cultural activities and add value to the area with an improved environment, which will have food and entertainment activities," said Karachi commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui.
In the next two to three months, the Saddar pilot project will be completed before a master planner is appointed, he told The Express Tribune, sharing his excitement in getting the project running.
There is a strong resistance to this plan from the encroachment mafia, admitted the chief engineer of the commissioner's implementation unit, Syed Muhammad Shakeeb. "The authorities will, nevertheless, take a stand to restore Saddar's heritage sites."
The drive against the encroachers will not be an easy one. "We are now applying a 'hit-and-trial' strategy," said Shakeeb. "You will see how successfully we clear this area of all types of encroachments."
The plan also includes improving the shopping experience for the visitors so there will be better pavements, walkways, landscape elements, better security, public toilets and a night bazaar to revive Saddar's famous night life, he added.
The project will cover an area of around 925,000 square metres that covers the area bordered by MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Sarwar Shaheed Road, Preedy Street and Abdullah Haroon Road, explained project director Muhammad Athar, who is the transport director for the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). "In the subsequent phases, several revival schemes will be undertaken zone by zone."
Architect Yasmeen Lari hopes that this project will save the heritage buildings. "If the authorities are successfully able to turn Saddar into a pedestrian zone, people will be able to enjoy 19th century Karachi," she said, adding that there are several landmarks that fall within this project, including two parks behind Empress Market, a water trough, traditional coffee houses, two fish markets and restaurants.
"We proposed this idea originally in 1996 to make Saddar a pedestrian zone with the restoration of heritage buildings and a play area and night-time activities for the residents of Karachi," Lari shared. "I am happy that the government has taken up the idea now."
Architecture Arif Hasan recalled the Saddar of the early years when it had 17 bars, billiard rooms, four music and dance schools, 18 bookshops, two clubs for sailors, five discotheques, 34 eateries and coffee houses for the city's revolutionaries and professionals. It all ended after Ayub Khan's era, he said.
Unhappy businessmen
The businessmen in the same area appreciated the idea to revive Saddar but they also criticised the government's stance against small shopkeepers and pushcart vendors. There are hundreds of makeshift stalls and pushcarts in the area and the government must provide them an alternative way to earn a living in the city, said the president of Sindh Tajir Ittihad, Jamil Ahmed Paracha, who represents over 4,000 shops in the area.
"If the government fails to provide an alternative, these small traders will create a law and order situation even after the project is completed," he warned.
Murtaza Rizvi, who has been running his bookshop, Anwar Book Depot, in Empress Market since decades, agreed with Paracha. The government is creating a healthy environment but it should be useful for the entire community, and not only the rich, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2014.
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They should also rename the streets to their old names. Zaibunissa Street is an example. They should name it to Elphinstone Street (just like it was in the past). The British raj was an important era of the subcontinent, which should not be forgetten. It plays a vital role in the heritage and culture of Pakistan, especially Karachi as it was developed by the British.
Traditional trams in sadar will become a new public transport mafia
Waking up late. But at least waking up.
Great News : )
An interesting read on the revival plan for Saddar. While I love the idea of making Saddar a pedestrian friendly area (which by the way it already is), the ideology of the plan seems no different than the City Beautiful Plan (Chicago), or Haussmann's Paris, or even Brasilia where poverty is the essential aesthetic that is removed or reorganized to make space appear 'renovated'. The historical failures of modernism have been ignored, and our utopia seems to be stuck somewhere between Mohammad bin Qasim, British Raj and the 'World Class City'. Saddar, (if revived by our planners) will look 'clean', disney-fied, branded, and guarded by metal detectors.