Encroachments cleared from MA Jinnah Road

Karachi
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation cleared off encroachments, including vendor stalls, sugarcane juice machines, pushcarts and trolleys, from various parts of Saddar, including MA Jinnah Road, on Thursday.
In a statement, the corporation said its anti-encroachments department took action to clear roadsides near Regal Chowk and Preedy Street.
A day earlier, it was announced that the MA Jinnah Road will remain closed for general public for the three days leading up to Ashura, to be observed on Saturday.
Under the security arrangements for mourning processions to be organised on the 8, 9 and 10 of Muharram, from Thursday till Saturday, the police personnel began sealing the connecting roads and the commercial establishments along the MA Jinnah Road on Wednesday night.
DIG South Jamil Ahmed while talking to The News said the smaller roads linking MA Jinnah to the rest of the city were being plugged by shipping containers on Wednesday night.
So far, he said, several abutting roads and locations including Preedy Street, Empress Market Chowk and Sarmad Road had been barricaded for vehicular traffic.
He said all the shops located along the MA Jinnah Road, the venue and route for the main mourning procession, have also been sealed for security reasons.
Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Hyder Jamali on Wednesday night also issued orders for heavy deployment of police personnel in the city for security duties.
According to a spokesman for the Sindh Police, the IGP Jamali directed the officials to prepare rapid response teams under the pre-decided Muharram Contingency Plan and ensure the deployment of commandos, police constables, reserve policemen and other officials from Thursday morning.
The IGP issued these directives to all the senior police officials concerned while reviewing the Muharram Contingency Plan 2015.
He further directed officials to ensure the deployment of heavy contingents of police, fire brigade vehicles, ambulances and vehicle cranes along all the routes of mourning processions in order to avoid any untoward incident.