LAHORE: Johar Town G1 market has become an example of the worst commercial area management as it faces numerous problems that not only affect the visitors but also the commuters.
The unhygienic conditions, parking disorders and illegal stalls have misshaped the market completely. The market is considered to be one of the key areas as residents from all over Johar Town and even closely situated societies such as Canal View, Tech society, Alpha Society, WAPDA Town, Judicial Colony approach this market for groceries, food and other commodities.
This market is adjacent to Abdul Haq Road which leads the traffic coming from the Canal Bank Road inside Johar Town towards Khokhar Chowk. Abdul Haq Road is considerably a busy road because it caters to a large number of commuters traveling from the Canal Bank Road towards WAPDA Town, NFC, Punjab Society and Valancia. To add to the worries of commuters, renowned privately owned schools such as Choueifat and LACAS are operating in G1 market, further hindering traffic flow.
ROAD SIDE STALLS AND NO PARKING: The market’s parking area is badly managed. Illegal stands and road side stalls are seen consuming most of the parking area. More than 50 portable food stalls and refreshment stands are present around the market.
Barbeque stalls are seen placed in the parking lots with chairs and tables occupying most of the parking space. Visitors coming to the market are forced to park their cars on the sides of the adjacent Abdul-Haq Road and blocking it. Abdul-Haq Road is seen choked at rush hours as it accommodates all sorts of commuters.
HYGIENE COMPROMISED: Lack of proper waste disposal, water drainage mechanism and maintenance are adding to the issues that visitors face everyday. Hygiene is thus compromised. Failure of the concerned authorities has transformed this market into a dump.
The shop owners of this market complain about the prevailing market conditions. Asjad a shopkeeper said, “This market is a mess because the market association in totally inactive. All of them are politically installed on us,” Johar Town contains mega projects like Expo center, Doctors Hospital, Shaukat Khanum Hospital and the newly constructed LDA office, and is considered to be one of the largest housing schemes of the provincial capital of Punjab.
Residents and market visitors expressed their concern over the market’s bad condition. “A proper plan is required to maintain a suitable traffic flow as this road leads to the Expo center and other major areas,” said Asfand Rehman, a WAPDA Town resident. Hamza Farukh a visitor said, “This market should have been a model market as it represents Johar Town in many ways.”
