The frequent public meetings held by various political parties, protests, lawyers rallies on the Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam has cut down the traders business by about 20 percent besides creating severe traffic jams and hardships for the motorists and the general public.
Most of the traders complained that their business has been reduced about 20 percent mainly because of the activities being taken place on the Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam, said Chairman Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam Traders Association Sohail Butt while talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday. He said that these protests has caused a decline in their monthly sales that has come down from Rs 10 million to Rs 2.5 million.
The ratio of the female customers has been restricted to only five percent and that of male to 20 percent. The business on the Mall is no more lucrative that was why the traders due to different kinds of rallies on this prominent road, have started shifting their businesses to other markets or places, he added. Just before 1.30-2.00 hours, the police divert the traffic to other roads that has become a major problem for the customers intending to shop at the Mall.
"Since, the lawyers started protest by launching rallies from Aiwan-e-Adal and Lahore High Court building to Chairing Cross (Faisal Chowk) for the restoration of judiciary, we have been facing great difficulties and business loss as well" he maintained. Apart from the protest rallies, severe traffic jam, particularly on the Mall, is also observed mainly because of the VVIP movement that creates hurdle for the general public, ambulances and other emergency services including bomb disposal and fire brigade vehicles.
He further said that all the important offices and buildings including the Punjab Assembly, Lahore High Court, Chief Ministers office, Governor House and five star hotels are located on the Mall. Besides, the Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam is also the main route used for Civil Secretariat, Supreme Court of Pakistan and the traffic police block different roads leading to Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam to facilitate the VVIP movement and protests front of the Punjab Assembly, he said.
The situation becomes more aggravated when police divert the route of the public transport without prior notice and the passengers have to wait for hours to get their required bus.
The traffic diversion also creates chaos on small roads adjacent to the Mall, including Lytton Road, Shahra-e-Fatima Jinnah, McLoad Road, Mozang Road, Lawrence Road, Fan Road, Jail Road, Abbotabad Road, and Davis Road, particularly during the peak hours, as the schools and colleges students and employees of various government, semi-government and privates offices have to travel by public transport, he added.
He said that the access to The Mall is always denied by the police because of the lawyers rally on every Thursday as the road has to be blocked from 12.00 noon to 3-4.00 pm. He said the government should disallow any kind of agitation, protest rallies, public meetings on the Mall so that the commuters, customers and the general public might be saved from disruption in smooth flow of traffic, he maintained.
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