'No parking will be allowed on main roads in Karachi'

Murad Ali Shah orders removal of business activities from basements meant for parking

KARACHI: The traffic police was directed by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to launch an operation to put an end to commercial activities in the basements of commercial buildings where the basements were approved in the layout plan for parking purposes.

The direction during a meeting at the CM House on Monday to resolve the city's traffic issues. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, Traffic Additional IG Mushtaq Maher, Home Secretary Qazi Shahid Parvez, Karachi Commissioner Ejaz Ali Khan, Traffic DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh, Karachi Development Authority Director-General Nasir Abbas, Karachi Project Director Niaz Soomro, engineer Khalid, Traffic Engineer Bureau Senior Director Qazi Abdul Qadir and other officials concerned.



The chief minister said he was not happy with the present traffic management system. "I am witnessing traffic jams on almost all important roads of the city," he said, adding that commercial plazas in Tariq Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Aisha Manzil, Clifton, Sharae Faisal and other areas have turned their parking lots, constructed in basements, into shops and godowns.

"This is a sheer violation of the rules and defiance of the government's writ. I will not allow this kind of attitude," he warned.

He directed the home minister to arrange police support for the Karachi commissioner and traffic DIG to remove illegal business activities set up in basements that were only meant for parking.



"Why do you [traffic DIG] allow parking of vehicles on main roads such as on Tariq Road and in Clifton and other areas?" he asked Shaikh, saying that no parking will be allowed on main roads.

He directed Maher and the traffic engineering bureau to work out a detailed plan for removal of traffic bottlenecks from around Metropole Hotel and submit the plan for approval to him within a week. The issues of other traffic bottlenecks, identified from time to time, must also be resolved, Shah said.

Karachi is spread over an area of 3,527 square kilometres with a 10,000km road network, Maher said, while giving a presentation to the CM.



"The city's population is about 23.7 million and around four million vehicles are registered with an increase of 1,186 vehicles per day," Maher shared.

The chief minister asked Maher to identify traffic choking points in the city.

On this, Maher said there were 26 choking points, including one in District South, three in District Central, one in District East, four in District West and three in Malir.

Shah directed Maher to give him a comprehensive plan for the smooth flow of traffic at the 26 choking points. The chief minister directed Maher to sit with the traffic engineers and prepare a comprehensive plan for the smooth flow of traffic.



During 2017, the traffic police have so far challaned 1.37 million vehicles for violation of traffic rules and imposed Rs322 million in fines, against which Rs278.8 million has been recovered so far, Maher said.

At present, only 2,525 policemen are regulating vehicular traffic in two shifts, he said. Therefore, 1,262 police personnel have to cater to the traffic needs of the city in each shift.

On this, Shah commented that 4,227 newly-recruited policemen were on training and this shortage of police personnel would be over after completion of their training.

He constituted a committee under Maher, Shaikh, Soomro and Qadir to review each and every route or road, arrangement of signals and other such factors and give their plan to resolve the situation.

On August 2, the Supreme Court directed the Defence Housing Authority administrator to ensure immediate demolition of as many as 39 shops that were illegally built in the basement of a commercial plaza in Gizri neighbourhood that was earmarked for a parking lot.