Karachi Traders have appealed to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari regarding land grabbing issues and a parking mafia, which they allege are damaging the city’s infrastructure.
According to Minhaj Gulfam, a press conference was held on Monday with other association leaders, and the president of the Karachi Mobile and Electronics Dealers Association called a meeting.
Gulfam laments the sale of footpaths and how they are bringing down Karachi’s trading hub. He resented how everything is encroaching on citizens’ properties by the so-called illegal encroachment system and how the Water Board deprived the public of access to water by forcing citizens to purchase water tankers at exorbitant rates. The traders observed that it was strange that the Sindh government should ‘keep mum over these issues’ while also questioning the legality of leasing footpaths.
“Newly developed Hassan Brohi system, which seemed initially to extend on the side of Highway Land only, now encroaches upon properties across northern bypasses, Korangi Industrial Area, and SITE Industrial Area,” Gulfam said. KMC has now also started leasing footpaths in business districts of Lyari having industrial plots.
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The conference heard several trader leaders accusing the authorities of the law. They said that the manmade water crisis is compelling people to buy water from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board by providing it through police Rs2,200. The traders demanded, if the pipeline is not laid, give tankers to the citizens.
The traders further noted that the water mafia and the Water Board seem to be in cahoots with each other as water tankers are being sold at unbelievably exorbitant rates. They declared that the water crisis has caused acute hardships, to the extent that at present nothing comes to the houses and mosques. They urged the government to take cognizance of the problem and work out some solutions.
The traders were also concerned over the continuation of electricity problems where the provincial and federal governments are stopping new electricity supply companies from entering the market. They asked the Army Chief and Chief Justice of Pakistan to set up a credible, empowered team to investigate and take action against the issues. The last appeal was made by the traders to the authorities for protecting their properties and rights against further deterioration of infrastructure in the city.