Time for a makeover: Saddar to undergo major changes as revival plan kicks off

Facelift for heritage buildings also in the pipeline .

KARACHI:

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 17^th, 2014.