Encroachments in Peshawar bazaars impede traffic, trouble pedestrians

PESHAWAR: A number of bazaars in Peshawar city have been hit by encroachments which are impeding the free flow of traffic on the one hand and troubling pedestrians on the other.

The encroached bazaars are Karimpura, Ghanta Ghar, New Muslim Meena Bazaar, Shaheen Bazaar, Qissa Khwani, Khyber Bazaar, Ashraf Road, Shoba Bazaar, Faqirabad, Khushal Bazaar, Gunj Chowk, Jalil Kababi Road, Firdaus Bazaar, Bacha Khan Chowk and several others.

A visit to these areas clearly showed that the shopkeepers have encroached upon the footpaths and roads next to their shops by three to six feet. This has made the bazaars almost impassable for the pedestrians.

The situation is the worst at Karimpura, Shaheen bazaars and in New Muslim Meena Bazaar, as these are known women shopping centres and frequented by a large number of women daily.

Shopkeepers in Karimpura and Shaheen bazaars have grabbed five feet pathway next to shops, displaying items for sale on the roads which are supposed to be free for movement of pedestrians and vehicles. The presence of pushcarts in these bazaars has deteriorated situation. “Peshawar can be termed a godforsaken city as the roads and footpaths are encroached and administration has issued passes to the pushcart owners who are blocking the free movement of the pedestrians and the traffic,” said a concerned citizen while fuming at the situation.

He pointed out that over several small shops were set up next to the Parda Bagh on the Shahi Katha (sewerage line). “Why Sasta Bazaar has not been set up there so far,” asked the citizen, adding there should be a separate site for pushcart owners to enable them to earn a living and streamline traffic flow in busy bazaars.

Encroachments are in abundance at Chowk Yadgar and on the Ashraf Road, the two main trade centres. Shopkeepers and vendors have joined hands to encroach on footpaths and roads in these business hubs. This is why traffic mess is a routine in these trade centres.

Though the entry of heavy vehicles is banned in the city from morning till night, this restriction is never followed on the Ashraf Road where trucks and even 10 wheelers carrying food items are seen parked on the roadside during the daytime for unloading.

The footpaths at Chowk Yadgar have been occupied by shopkeepers and vendors. The vehicular traffic gets clogged there for the very reason. The students from Government Frontier College for Girls and several schools located nearby face difficulties while passing through the encroached passages during opening and closing times of the educational institutions.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) -led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government did a commendable job by removing encroachments from various bazaars. That provided great relief to the people as the trade centres gave a better look after the drive. But unfortunately the administrations of various towns failed to have a follow-up and could not stop the emergence of make-shift encroachments,” said another citizen.

The citizen requested Chief Secretary Muhammad Azam Khan to take notice of the issue and order the relevant officials to take action accordingly.