Arrives Ramazan and the encroachments pop up all over the city areas including Gawalmandi, Aahata Mithu Khan, Saddar Bazaar, Tench Bhatta, People’s Colony, Chungi no. 22, Dhoke Syedan Chowk, Lal Kurti, Talhi Mori Chowk, Ghosia Chowk, Lalazar, Marrir Hassan, Jhanda Chichi, Rehmatabad, Jinnah Road, Ratta Amral Road, New Gawalmandi and Kashmiri Bazaar etc.
A walk down otherwise spacious, but congested narrow lanes of famous marketplaces like Saddar, Raja Bazaar are not without its temptations. Want a taste of Ramazan brands and food? The markets on all sides and nearby lanes are the ideal place. They are full of your favorite items. In fact, the Rawalpindi marketplaces like Raja Bazar, Saddar, Commercial Market Satellite etc. are considered as Pindi's talisman because people from afar refer to them as a swell of a place to get Ramazan stuff at reasonable rates. But there ends the happy note. Shoppers have a long list of complaints. They lament encroachments in the marketplaces.
Ambreen, a frequent shopper says, “The popularity of these marketplaces is also their bane. See the Chota Bazaar, Saddar Road, Babu Bazaar, Adamjee Road and Railway Road, swelling crowds and lack of elbow room makes these spots not an easy place to shop.” “Due to want of space on footpaths and roadsides, I have to walk in the middle of the road. Gawalmandi area on a regular basis witnesses traffic congestion due to the motor workshops which line both sides of the road. Cars are parked on either side of the road as mechanics work on them,” Ashiq Ali, an area resident, says.
“The shopkeepers in roughly all the markets such as Raja Bazaar, Bara Market, Trunk Bazaar, City Saddar Road, Liaquat Road, Kashmiri Bazaar, Namakmandi, Ganjmandi, Mochi Bazaar, Bohar Bazaar, College Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Circular Road and Banni Chowk have encroached footpaths and roads. During the Iftari hours, there is not only a traffic mess on these main arteries but also on the entire link roads,” says Shabbir Naqvi .
“The city residents cannot reach their homes from work before ‘Iftari’ due to traffic congestion. Traffic wardens are not seen doing their duty,” adds Shabbir. Asad Ali, a traffic warden says: “The traffic mess at ‘Iftar’ time is created by the city residents as everyone is in a hurry to reach home. He also blames them for the traffic gridlocks and questions why they illegally park motorcycles and cars on the roads?” An exasperated shopper from Islamabad on a visit to Moti Bazaar area asks, “If you are here, I would like to know how you manage to walk around?” The sight of women and children walking on jam-packed narrow streets is quite scary.
