“The groundbreaking for the project was in 2004 and now we hope to open it by third week of November,” said Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri who was visiting Port Grand with his wife. “This will be south-east Asia’s [sic] largest and most modern food street,” Ghauri said. “Port Grand will be an icon for Pakistan and that there would be no ticket for entrance.”
The one-kilometre strip offers over 100 themes and concepts and rang over Rs1 billion on the cash register according to its chief executive Shahid Firoz, who said that its design was inspired by Quincy Market, Boston, Third Street, Los Angeles and Pier 39 in San Francisco. But when asked how soon he expects a return on the investment, Firoz seemed slightly apprehensive. “Unfortunately not soon, out cost overruns have gone over 600 per cent as we have built this place with a great deal of passion but the security and economic situation need to remain stable as well.”
The land on which Port Grand has been built has been leased from the Karachi Port Trust for 30 years. Right next to it is the Native Jetty temple. In fact, the eating spots have been designed to look like an extension of the temple. Architect and DHA resident Mukhtar Husain thought that the leftover port space had “been used very well. It’s a good transition with a good view”.
Nine-year-old Sameer Rizwan loves skateboarding but doesn’t get a chance to enjoy the sport often as “there is not enough space and I’m not allowed to go on the roads as it is not safe”. On Saturday, however, he didn’t hold back on any of his acrobatic moves at Port Grand where he said he plans to bring friends next time so they can all speed on their wheels by the pier. However, any sort of grille or barrier, protecting small children from accidentally falling into the murky waters, was conspicuously missing.
Munib Akhtar, a resident of DHA, thought Port Grand was a “pretty good idea”. “Obviously, we can judge better once it opens up, but so far it seems promising,” he said. “It is a great opportunity for entertainment over the weekend,” Tehmina Naqvi, another DHA resident said, adding, “but I have been carrying this cup around for a while and still haven’t spotted a dustbin. This way people will start littering.” Accompanying her was her husband, Ali Naqvi, who said he enjoyed the walk but that “the water was a terrible colour. Something should be done about that”.
Port Grand, which will remain open from 11am to 2am every day can accommodate up to 15,000 people, according to the organisers. It has 32 restaurants, two food streets, one with a traditional list of items and the other with international flavours. All visitors can redeem the Rs100 entry fee, levelled only to regulate the crowd and discourage people from “unnecessary loitering”.
A quaint art gallery with a bright red door also caught a great deal of interest. Featuring the work of renowned artist Amin Gulgee, the Art Lane offered a variety of big and new names. The port theme dominated the display as pieces by Hina Farooqui, Tapu Javeri, Amean Jan and Abdul Jabbar were all up for sale.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2010.
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