The City District Government, Karachi (CDGK), has extended its anti-encroachment drive to main shopping areas of the city and has warned the shopkeepers of penal actions if they do not vacate footpaths immediately.
The CDGK officials said on Thursday that in almost all the shopping areas, vendors had occupied footpaths and roads leading inside the shopping areas creating obstructions for pedestrians.
They said that some areas such as Gole Market in Nazimabad, KMC Market in Paposhnagar and meat and vegetable markets in Azizabad, Saghirabad, and Federal "B" Area had been cleared by the encroachers. They said that work in other areas was in progress.
People, living in the vicinity in these shopping areas and Rizvia Society/Gulbahar, said that the City government, after removing encroachment, left the debris uncollected, which created traffic hazards.
Huge piles of debris are lying both sides of the main Gulbahar road, which has narrowed down the road more than it was under the encroachment of shopkeepers.
The uncollected waste building material is becoming garbage-dumping place for the local population. The sweepers, who broom these roads early in the morning, also pile up their collection by the uncollected debris.
Residents said that the inability of the City government to remove rubbish and building material was fast choking gutter lines and many narrow lanes had sewage making it difficult to walk on foot.
They said that if the sewage were allowed to flow in the same way, it would mix up with drinking water or seep into main water supply lines, creating disaster for the people of the area.
They demanded of the City government to arrange for early clearance of waste/garbage/debris from the roads.