Mayor reviews anti-encroachment drive around Empress Market

Anti-encroachment operations around Empress Market in Saddar will continue throughout Ramazan to free the area of push carts and other concrete encroachments, said Mayor Wasim Akhtar while reviewing the ongoing crackdown on Tuesday.

While talking to reporters on the occasion, the mayor said that in order to ensure an encroachment-free area around Empress Market and adjacent roads in Saddar, a total of eight monitoring camps have been set up where staff from Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and police would be on duty round the clock. He further said that the market which was constructed in 1889 was a cultural landmark in the city. “We will make this place better,” he added.

The operation to restore the beauty of the historical Empress Market started on May 20 in an attempt to save thousands of travellers, shopkeepers and other visitors from a lot of inconvenience due to illegal encroachments on main roads and pavements, he said.

According to Mayor Akhtar, hundreds of push carts and other encroachments have been removed during this operation and the whole area in front of the market will be freed up. Karachi is the heart of Pakistan and Empress Market is the heart of the city, he said. He added that all banners, billboards and cable wires around Empress Market will also be removed during the operation and a tree plantation drive will also be carried out.

34 profiteers jailed

The administration continued its operation against profiteers, imposing fines on 474 and sending another 34 to jail. The administration imposed fines totalling Rs800,000 on the profiteers for selling essential daily-use items at higher rates and not displaying the official price list issued by the commissioner.