FAISALABAD – The city government has shelved the long-awaited Rs 50 million public parking plan conceived by its predecessors to address the parking chaos in different areas. During the tenure of former City District Nazam Rana Zahid Tauseef, Rs 50 million were earmarked for the construction of four multi-storey parking plazas at Kutchehary Bazaar, Aminpur Bazaar, former municipal corporation house and Mayor House.
The city government has termed the proposed venues of parking plazas as unsuitable in its feasibility report. The poor revenue return from the plazas in terms of parking fee and narrow approach roads at the entry and exit points are considered as the main reasons for the cancellation of the project. But the most significant aspect of the decision is that no alternative places have been suggested.
The decision has shattered the hopes of thousands of shopkeepers and visitors. Parking has literally turned out to be a nightmare in the eight bazaars surrounding Ghanta Ghar. There are long, bumper-to-bumper queues of cars often seen in the business centres of the city leaving no space for pedestrians. The problem is aggravated by the heavy movements of motorcycles.
“Gone are the days when Kutchehry Bazaar was termed the most classic shopping venue for all kinds of fashion accessories,” said a readymade garments merchant. “Our daily sale has almost halved in the recent years all due to the parking chaos in the area which was one the most prestigious quality shopping places.
“The customers have diverted to the new venues such as D-Ground, Susan Road or Satiana Road owing to the availability of parking lots provided by the newly built shopping malls and presence of international food chains there,” he said. The city government’s plans for the construction of multi-storey parking plazas could not see the light of the day as it failed to impress the movers and shakers of the city. After a long wait of years, it turned out to be a paper plan only as no practical steps have been taken to address the problem.
This is a no-win situation both for customers as well as shopkeepers. “There has been a daily transaction of millions of rupees within the boundaries of these eight bazaars,” said another yarn merchant based in Montgomery Bazaar. “If the declining state of parking continues, the shopping centre will become a ‘no-go area’ for motorists owing to unavailability of a parking space,” he said.
Chief Traffic Officer Sardar Mohammad Asif Khan on a number of occasions said that inconvenience in theses areas was due to motorists’ negative and non-cooperative behaviour. ‘No parking’ violations had increased manifold, causing problems for every one, he said. “We are using lifters to remove the wrongly parked vehicles which block the free flow of traffic,” said the officer.
A longtime resident of the eight bazaars says that this is the most ancient area of the city which has been eclipsed owing to urbanisation. “The map of Lyallpur (old name of Faisalabad) was derived from Union Jack, the British flag, illustrating 8 crisscross lines passing through a single axis,” he remembered. Therefore, this is an archeological site which is the heart of the city and the government must take steps to beautify the eight bazaars.
“If we are able to extend the Circular Road all around the 8 bazars like a Ring Road, the pressure of traffic inside the bazaars will be substantially released”, he suggested. Once it is done, 8 bazars can be transformed into a ‘No Car area’ reserved for pedestrians only. The scheme if implemented, will dramatically enhance the grace of the city, he hoped.
Commenting on the city government’s decision to shelve the parking project, an angry businessman says that they are afraid to lose millions of Rupees the government earns in terms of traffic fines. “If they provide a parking to one vehicle it gives them Rs. 20/ as parking fees; but if they challan a car for no parking, it gives them Rs. 200/”, he said.
“So the government will never take a decision that hurts it interests”, he remarked. “Traffic police’s lifters are given a daily target of fines to strengthen the government accounts and those performing well are rewarded for the good work”, he said
KILLERS OF WATCHMAN ARRESTED: The killers of a watchman who was died from suffocation during a Rs 15 million robbery were arrested from Layyah by the Faisalabad police who have also recovered a large quantity of the stolen yarn in a raid. A security guard, Mati Ullah died from suffocation when dacoits stuffed a heavy piece of cloth in his mouth to prevent him from shouting for help.
A group of 20 dacoits entered the warehouse of cotton yarn in Dost Street at Maqbool Road in the jurisdiction of Batala Colony police station at midnight. They took the staff hostage at gunpoint and took away cotton yar worth Rs 15 million. During the robbery Mati Ullah attempted to shout for help but he was overpowered by the gangsters. They stuffed a heavy piece of cloth in his mouth that caused his death.
