LAHORE: Major markets are badly suffering because of unavailability of parking plazas and massive encroachment in major markets of the provincial metropolis.

An ad-hoc committee constituted by the President of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Mian Tariq Misbah in its meeting chaired by EC Member Khadim Hussain on Saturday took stock of the whole situation and its impact on businesses. The meeting urged the Lahore Development Authority, Traffic Engineering and Planning Authority and Corporation authorities to join their heads for providing a solution to these problems that now have started taking their toll.

Khadim Hussain suggested that in first place parking plaza at Neela Gumbad Anarkali, Lahore should be built as it has already been approved in 2006 and 2011. PC-1 of the said project had already been prepared. Since, the government has started development work therefore it is high to include Anarkali parking plaza in list of work to be completed.

The members pointed out the encroachments and parking issues at Shah Alam Market and said that motorcycles, vehicles, rickshaws parked in streets, passageways and corridors of the market are a hurdle in running business activities in the market.

They suggested the government provide and maintain parking plaza’s in markets to avoid the traffic mess. There is a dire need to provide multi-storey parking plazas in the markets and more traffic staff should be deployed to manage traffic in the markets.

The business community is facing difficulties due to encroachments and in the absence of parking plazas. It was suggested that the abandoned parks should be converted into parking plazas near Urdu Bazar and Paper Market.

A traders’ representative Mehboob Ali Sirki suggested developing a parking plaza on vacant land adjacent to Sharif Plaza at Ferozpure Road. He also suggested that parking plazas should be developed underground and shops on the surface which would also generate revenue for the government.

It was also pointed out that encroachments at Main Hall Road, Qadri Chamber, Osama Centre and Kacha Hall Road towards Beadon Road create hurdles in smooth flow of traffic. It was suggested that motorcycle parking should be developed at the vacant place adjacent to Zaman Plaza, Hall Road until the development of parking plazas, parking lines should be marked and at least 6 traffic wardens be deployed to cater the traffic flow at Hall Road Market. Similarly, there is massive encroachment at Karim Block and Moon Market and there is a mafia behind it. Once operation against encroachments ends, the people again install their stalls in connivance with traders and administration.

The meeting floated the idea to develop hydraulic parking plazas and suggested that the government should share the project plans with stakeholders and facilitate public and private partnership to run these projects.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020