close
Tuesday March 19, 2024

250 shops razed in Jama Cloth Market as drive against encroachments continues

By Our Correspondent
November 21, 2018

As the anti-encroachment drive continues in the city, 250 more shops were razed on Tuesday in the famous Frame Market of Jama Cloth and Dupatta Gali, while 20 shops were also demolished around Super Market, Liaquatabad, which were constructed on footpaths.

According to officials, 130 shops were registered in the Frame Market and Dupatta Gali by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s Estate Department, but the shopkeepers later divided these into more shops and also extended out on to the footpaths.

Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saifur Rehman, while monitoring the anti-encroachment drive, said that action against encroachments was being taken on the directives of the Supreme Court. Shopkeepers are now taking care and putting their belongings within their limits, which is good for the city, he said.

Earlier on Monday, nearly 350 shops at the furniture market in Arambagh and 450 shops at Lighthouse were razed by the anti-encroachment teams with the help of heavy machinery. Since the drive began some three weeks ago, thousands of shops have been razed in and around Saddar.

CM’s advice to mayor

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has urged Mayor Wasim Akhtar to involve heritage experts in the restoration of the historical Empress Market so that its original beauty can be revived.

Speaking to the mayor over the telephone on Tuesday, CM Shah said that after the removal of encroachments from the surroundings of Empress Market, its original shape had emerged. “Now, its restoration is the most important and sensitive task which should be undertaken in consultation with and under guidance of heritage experts.”

The CM added that sandblasting of the historical building without proper guidance of the relevant archaeological and architectural experts would render the exceptional colonial-era monument dull. He said after restoration of law and order in the city, the removal of encroachments was another challenging job which had been done properly and is still in progress. “The areas which have been cleared must be made neat and clean.”

Shah assured the mayor that he had a plan to restore all the old buildings in Karachi through a World Bank-sponsored project, while the provincial government would also utilise its resources in this regard. Reiterating that Karachi belongs to each and every one of us, he said: “We have to make it neat and clean, and one of the best liveable cities of the world”.

The CM further said that all heritage buildings located in the old city areas would be restored to their original shape and the scheme to restore the old city from Pakistan Chowk to Saddar would be accelerated, while other areas would also be restored on the same pattern.

CM meets governor

Meanwhile, Governor Imran Ismail assured the CM that the federal government would provide full support and assistance to the provincial authorities for the construction of the K-IV bulk water supply scheme and for the revival of long-pending Karachi Circular Railway project.

The assurances came as CM Shah met Governor Ismail at the Governor House on Tuesday. The two discussed law and order in Sindh and the pace of development projects being carried out in Karachi, among other things. The governor said development projects for Karachi would be completed in a timely fashion to provide much-needed relief to the masses.

The two top provincial authorities developed agreed that both the federal and provincial authorities would consult each other in future to ensure early revival of the KCR. CM Shah has been seeking additional financial support from federal government as the cost of the first phase of K-IV Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme of 260 million gallons daily has increased to Rs75 billion from the initial estimate of Rs25 billion. In this regard, CM Shah also met Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda last week and inspected the site of the K-IV project near Keenjhar Lake.

The CM said that the federal government, as per its additional commitment, should share 50 per cent cost of the first phase of the K-IV project. The cost has increased exponentially as the initial feasibility of the project prepared several years ago didn’t take into account several essential components and aspects of the project, including the construction of civic infrastructure along the new water supply channel and also the power generation project for the pumping station. The completion of the first phase of K-IV project has been delayed much owing to these unresolved issues, Shah had said.