Karachi:‘Pedestrianisation of Saddar’ project initiated in 2012 is still a distant dream even after passage of 13 long years as lethargic bureaucracy is not interested to give the megacity a decent and civilized look.
In March 2012, the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) had launched this curial project called the “Pedestrianisation of Saddar”. It was aimed at ensuring the smooth flow of traffic in the area. The project with an estimated to cost of Rs100 million was supposed to regulate street vendors and remove illegal encroachments from the principal arteries of the area. It was expected that the project would be completed within five months, after which certain roads in Saddar will be reserved for pedestrians’ use only. However, despite passage of 13 years this project is still in limbo.
The same is the case of the project of re-routing of minibuses from Saddar area. In the year 2014, it was decided to re-route minibuses from Saddar area and run a tram service to reduce traffic congestion and make the area a pedestrian-free zone. Under this plan it was also claimed that the historical building of Empress Market would be converted into a museum, showcasing the culture of the megacity.
Under this plan it was said that 46 minibus routes – 35 routes passing through Saddar and 11 routes ending there, would be diverted away from main Saddar Empress Market area. Under the plan, it was decided that the public transport would use only two thoroughfares – Mansfield Street and Dr Daudpota Road – to pass through Saddar, while buses, minibuses and coaches would not run on Preedy Street, Shahrah-i-Iraq, Mir Karam Ali Road and Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Road.
However, sadly this ambitious plan also fell flat as the government at provincial and city level did not take any interest in it. The Karachiites had hoped that the PTI government at the Center would give a serious focus on uplift of the megacity, as the seats won by PTI from Karachi and the crucial support of MQM-P made it possible for Imran Khan to become Prime Minister of Pakistan. However, they regret that the megacity still stands neglected and orphaned in ‘Naya Pakistan’.