I I Chundrigar Road is one of the busiest thoroughfares of Karachi and is rightly dubbed as the financial Wall Street of Pakistan. Recently one of the building “Business and Finance Centre” situated opposite State Bank has occupied a huge portion of the footpath by erecting concrete and steel structures. This has been done to facilitate parking of the motorcycles of the staff of different offices which are situated in Business and Finance Centre, I I Chundrigar Road, Karachi. The same (i.e., motorcycles) are whisked away by the traffic police on account of this being no parking zone.
Taking lead the next building Gull Tower has started doing the same i.e., erecting steel and concrete structures on the footpath to facilitate parking of motorcycles. Given the slumber which plagues the civic agencies, it is likely that the trend of occupation of footpath would soon reach epidemic proportion in the vicinity of I I Chundrigar Road, Karachi.
Both Business and Finance Centre and as well as Gull Tower are bestowed with basement but the people working/visiting there prefer to park on footpath for their convenience. Even if they had been devoid of basement this does not gives them any right to occupy footpath by erecting steel and concrete structures.
The million dollar question in such an emerging scenario is that what would happen to the hapless pedestrians. Finding the thin strip of footpath not of much use people are being forced to walk on the main road thereby exposing themselves to all sorts of traffic hazards/mishaps.
Can our blindfolded civic agencies take cognizance of the matter or for this also we would have to seek help of the Rangers?
SADIA ADNAN
Karachi