Making money: Fodder stalls set up illegally ‘on rent’

Municipalities, LEAs turn a blind eye, facilitate stall owners

KARACHI: In most megacities across the world, sidewalks are the domain of pedestrians. But Karachi is not like most megacities; nor are its sidewalks for that matter.

For Karachi’s footpaths are the realm of street hawkers, beggars, encroachers, food stalls and seating areas for roadside establishments and advertisement billboards. The latter have been removed from all the sidewalks and footpaths of the city recently after the Supreme Court (SC) maintained that the law does not permit such installations on ‘public property’.

During Eidul Azha, these sidewalks are taken over by several roadside shops that sell a variety of feed for livestock. The various municipalities not only turn a blind eye towards these stalls and traffic jams but facilitate them by giving spaces that are in their jurisdiction on rent. Amid all this, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) fail to follow the legal route and dislodge such setups.

How it happens

Rafay, along with his little goat, reached an animal fodder shop at a footpath in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, surrounded by scores of parked cars.  His goat attacked the fresh green grass, known as ‘jantar’

“Move your goat away! It [the jantar] costs Rs30 per kilogramme,” shouted the shop owner, Aslam*, while Rafay responded that the price was more expensive than that of last year’s.

Aslam replied that he had got the space on rent from Cantonment Board Faisal (CBF) for Rs80,000. “The charges this year are higher than last year,” he said, adding that apart from CBF’s charges, they have to bribe the traffic police and the Karachi police every time they make their way to his shop.

Showing CBF’s receipt, Aslam revealed that apart from CBF’s fees they [shop owners] also had to pay Rs25,000 in kickbacks to CBF officials to set up their stalls.

According to an animal fodder stall owner in North Karachi, Mazhar Hussain, the have gotten space after paying a ‘handsome amount’ to their respective District Municipal Corporation (DMC) [Central].

Even in DMC East’s jurisdiction, several stalls have been set up in Gulshan-e-Iqbal but East Deputy Commissioner Asif Jan Siddiqui claimed he was unaware whether these spaces are rented out or given for free. In order to facilitate the public, such stalls are setup for a few days because people need animal fodder round the clock, he said.

Meanwhile, Karachi commissioner Ejaz Ahmed Khan said action has been taken against such stalls.

No official of the CBF was available for comment, despite repeated attempts.

Dr Raza Ali Gardezi of Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment said one can never sell amenity spaces such as footpaths for commercial use, pointing out that if the municipalities are selling such spaces on rent, they will have to show under what law they are doing so.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2016.