AKTI chief decries KMC: Corrupt officials rent out 60 percent city pathways to vendors

Traders on Thursday expressed concern over the mass occupation of footpaths and roadsides by tiny businesses, saying the civic administration has failed to clear the roads for public use. Talking to Business Recorder, Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI), Atiq Mir, said the municipal administration of the city is not keen to clear the roads and footpaths of encroachments.
He said nearly 60 percent roads in the city are rented out by some corrupt officials of Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) illegally to tiny businesses on monthly basis "The total amount of rent is about Rs 100 million a month," he said. Despite paying service taxes to all the government departments, he said, the traders are still deprived of the facilities at markets and are compelled to make their own arrangements.
"Unless corrupt officials are removed from their posts, the KMC cannot improve the civic conditions," he said, adding that the markets are full of trash and inside roads are nearly blocked for pedestrians' movement. "We are compelled even to clean the trash by ourselves," he said.
Atiq Mir said the buyers are reluctant to visit the filthy markets which hit badly the businesses. "Sales in such markets are very low for lack of buyers," he said, adding that the civic administration should provide basic facilities to traders and buyers. Despite having lodged several complaints, he said the civic officials never pay heed on the hue and cry of traders who are struggling to get rid of encroachment and filth on inside streets of their markets. He said the roadside tiny illegal businesses have badly hit the traffic movement in different parts of the city.