City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has made a plan to widen 35 roads in the city by removing encroachments and unauthorised constructions. This was stated by Saddar Town's Controller of Building Agha M Abbasi, while talking to business community at a meeting of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
He said that roads, which were included in the widening plan included M. A. Jinnah Road, Aga Khan Street, Zabunnisa Street, Shahrah-e-Liaquat etc. He said that under the plan, shops and houses, which would be obstructing Shahrah-e-Liaquat widening, would be made smaller.
He said under the plan, Shahrah-e-Liaquat would be widened up to 25-30 feet. At present, Shahrah-e-Liaquat was around 60 to 70-foot wide, and added it would be widen by 120 feet.
Referring to objection of cutting shops and houses for the purpose, he said that under the agreement, made in 1955 with the shopkeepers, the government had the powers to cut shops and houses. The agreement also allowed the government to pay no compensation or claim to the owners of shops and houses. He said that encroachment on sewerage lines would be demolished for the purpose of cleaning the sewerage lines.
Agha Abbasi agreed with a proposal to carry out joint survey with the representatives of the KCCI and Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) to asses the current status, number of affectees and estimated loss of land, shape of each shop which would fall under the road programme.
Shopkeepers of Shahrah-e-Liaquat, present in the meeting, said that the owners were unaware of any agreement between the shopkeepers and the government made in 1955. They expressed their fear that they might loose their source of earnings and face economic deprivation.
Chairman of KCCI's Special Committee for Small Traders Abdul Majeed Memon objected to the notices issued to the shopkeepers to vacate the shops and remove the encroachment within 24 hours, and said that these notices would create a rift between the city government and the business community.
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