KARACHI (The Thursday Times) — The Sindh government has decided to launch a large-scale drive to clear encroachments from Karachi’s main roads, starting with University Road and the routes of the People’s Bus Service, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Sindh’s senior minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon. The Karachi commissioner, Hassan Naqvi, the transport secretary, Asad Zamin, the Karachi police chief, Azad Khan, DIG Traffic Pir Muhammad Shah, and DIG East Farrukh Lanjar attended, along with other officials.
The police, the city administration, and the transport department will act together, the statement said. Departments were told to take “immediate measures” against encroachments along the bus routes and against those that block the flow of traffic.
Bus terminals to move out
Illegal bus terminals in several parts of the city, including Sohrab Goth, are to be moved outside Karachi. The meeting also discussed building modern bus terminals outside the city under a public-private partnership and expanding the Karachi Bus Terminal, and Memon told officials to speed up work on a planned logistics park.
“Illegal occupations and obstructions on roads affect the smooth flow of traffic, increase fuel expenses and also create difficulties in the movement of public transport,” Memon was quoted as saying. He said encroachments caused “serious difficulties for citizens and passengers”.
The statement gave no start date or timeline for the operation, and no estimate of how many stalls or structures would be removed.
University Road’s long wait
University Road, one of the city’s main arteries, has been choked for years by construction of the Bus Rapid Transit Red Line, which began in March 2022 and was meant to be finished within 30 months. Memon promised in August that the road would be “100 per cent motorable” by September 15, and said in September that commuters’ difficulties were “almost over”.
The announcement comes as large parts of Karachi face a water shortfall on Friday while the Dhabeji pumping station is shut for maintenance.
