Owners of razed shops to get alternative places, assures Karachi administrator

Karachi Administrator Iftikhar Ali Shallwani has ordered the establishment of modern shopping plazas to provide alternative shops to the affected shopkeepers of the Light House and adjacent areas where shops were razed during anti-encroachment operations.

“Encroachments around the Lea Market should also be removed to restore the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s Empress Market into its original position. The allottees of the Lea Market will not be displaced until they are given alternative shops,” he assured. “We do understand the difficulties of the business community; they will be accommodated in the resettlement plan.”

He passed these remarks while addressing a delegation of the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, led by Hakim Shah, at the KMC building on Friday. Anti-encroachment senior director Basheer Siddiqui, land director Shaikh Kamal, estate director Abdul Qayyum and other officials were present on the occasion.

Shallwani said they wanted to provide all facilities to the affected shopkeepers in a plaza on Siddique Wahab Road. Besides, the people of Lyari would also get a modern market to purchase essential commodities, he added.

Unlike other shopping centres, he said, the new plaza would have an underground parking facility. He directed that the plaza's map should be made under the supervision of KMC engineers and “no compromise be made on the standard of the material”.

The administrator said encroachments were being removed at the Lee Market in the larger interest of Karachi as the market was amongst the city’s assets. The delegation apprised Shallwani of the affectees of the Mirza Adam Khan Market and the Baloch Market. He was informed that 500 shops were razed on the directives of the apex court but no alternative places were given to the affected shopkeepers.

The administrator assured that all affectees whose shops were razed on the Supreme Court's orders would be given alternative places. He said the directives had been issued to the relevant department in this regard.