Impossible for KMC to carry out maintenance of shops at low rents, says mayor

Mayor Wasim Akhtar has directed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to clear the area underneath the Liaquatabad Flyover of all stationary buses and vans, along with other encroachments such as shops and cabins.

During a visit to Liaquatabad 10, Nazimabad Gol Market and Frere Market on Thursday, Mayor Akhtar said the Supreme Court’s directives that no commercial or non-commercial activity is to be carried out under any flyovers or bridges in the city must be implemented.

He added that all constructions and shops other than the original plan in Frere Market and Nazimabad Gol Market will be removed. While visiting Frere Market, the mayor said it will be renovated and restored to its former glory when it was built in 1964. He also met with the shopkeepers and assured them that their problems will be solved.

Akhtar complained that it was not possible for KMC to carry out maintenance of its markets with shop rents being as low as Rs500 per month, that too at prime locations in the city. During the visit of Gol Market in Nazimabad, he inspected different portions and issued directives regarding garbage collection around the market.

In Liaquatabad 10, Akhtar also visited a heatstroke camp and said that while the weather has improved, people and the authorities still have to be alert all the time. “Improvement in the temperature is a good omen, however, precautionary measures taken in this regard will continue and hospitals would be on high alert to provide instant medical aid to patients,” he said.

The mayor appealed to the utility services providers like K-Electric and KWSB to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity and water to save the people from any inconvenience or trouble during the holy month.

District Municipal Corporation Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi, Vice-Chairman Syed Shakir Ali, Estate Committee Chairman Nasir Taimuri, Works Committee Director General Iqtidar Ahmed, Estate Senior Director Tasneem Ahmed, Anti-Encroachment Department Senior Director Bashir Siddiqui, Director Technical to Mayor SM Shakaib and other officers were also in attendance.