KARACHI: Due to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) negligence, Pakistan’s fir
st a multi-storey parking plaza building stands ‘orphaned.’
The KMC continues to cry about t
he lack of financial resources. However, it has failed to work on the shopping mall, which could generate millions
of rupees in rent revenue in the heart of the city.
The people of Karachi were left astonished at KMC, as the corporation has yet to get the double-storey urban shopping mall in Lines Area functional, despite it was fully completed almost a decade ago.
The mall, situated in the heart of the city and the costliest commercial area, has been lying idle for years despite being completed, but is yet to be rented to provide a source of income to the ‘broke’ KMC.
Very little financial resources to serve the city have been KMC’s constant cries, but sadly, its administration is unable to use the available resources to generate revenue.
The shopping mall was constructed on the ground and the first floor of the largest car parking plaza, situated at the New Preedy Street Saddar’s downtown market. It was completed about nine years ago, but it has not been rented out or utilised in any way to generate revenue by the KMC.
The modern mall’s spacious glass-door shops are covered in dust and have become a ‘beggars’ den’. The monthly r
ent of a shop was almost Rs 50,000 per month and, despite a very high demand of shops,
the mall was still idle. This situation clearly indicates that the KMC wanted to keep the facility deserted and unoccupied.
Presently,
the mall is a heaven for beggars, drug addicts, pickpockets and other people involved in illegal activities.
