Traffic still major hurdle for thousands heading to Taraweeh congregations

While 36% of city's police force deployed for security, dearth of parking spaces goes unaddressed.

KARACHI: With the sighting of the Ramazan moon, thousands of Muslims gear up for Taraweeh prayers. However, thanks to a lack of proper facilities, particularly parking spaces, attending the Taraweeh congregations becomes a mission of its own kind.

Main arteries of the city witness traffic congestions on a daily basis during the holy month as there are no measures in place to cater to the huge number of vehicles of the worshippers heading out to participate in the congregations.

According to data compiled by the Sindh police, there are some 4,004 spots where Taraweeh prayers are being offered. Apart from mosques, Taraweeh congregations are also organised at marriage halls and community centres. Of these, 1,124 are located in East zone, 1,660 in West zone and 1,130 in South zone. At these places, which include some community centres besides mosques, more than 12,000 personnel - constituting around 36% of the total police force in the city - have been deployed for security purposes. While security measures seem to be in full swing, the issue of a dearth of parking spaces still goes largely unaddressed.



According to the prayer leader of New Memon Masjid, Maulana Ikramul Mustafa, a major issue facing the worshippers is of a proper parking space besides security. "In the first ashra [10 days], the markets adjacent to the mosque on MA Jinnah Road usually remain closed so the issue [of parking space] does not create much problem," he said. "But it becomes a real problem for both the worshippers and commuters the rest of the month."

Mustafa said that though the mosque is one of the largest in the city, around 2,500 people participate in the Taraweeh congregation. "People usually prefer the three-day and 10-day Taraweeh congregations," he explained. "So, the larger congregations can be seen over there."

At Faizan-e-Madina, around 5,000 to 6,000 people attend the Taraweeh prayers, claims the media coordinator of the organisation, Noor Khan. This number of worshippers, however, includes the seminary students studying and residing at the facility near Old Sabzi Mandi.

A similar congregation takes place at Madni Masjid in Azizabad. It is estimated that around 2,000 to 3,000 people attend Taraweeh prayers there.

Meanwhile, the Alamgir Masjid in Bahadurabad offers parking space to worshippers, claimed Nisar Ahmed, an official at the trust that manages the operation of the mosque. "Around 500 to 600 people offer Taraweeh prayers here," he claimed. "We have dedicated a spot for parking so this issue does not make much trouble."

When asked about the plan to manage traffic at such places, traffic AIG Tahir Noorani said that the department was ready to manage it. More than 500 traffic personnel and volunteers have been tasked to control the traffic at these spots, he said, adding that there was no solution to this traffic issue but to manage it. The city’s largest Taraweeh congregation is held at Karachi Expo Centre every year but it only lasts the first 10 days. The centre has the capacity to park over 2,400 cars but even then several cars are seen lining both sides of the main road during prayers.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2016.