RAWALPINDI-Trade bodies of the city on Tuesday urged the government to shift wholesale markets from city areas to the outskirts to ease traffic congestion.
President Markazi Anjuman Tajraan Sharjeel Mir said that the previous Punjab government had formed a committee of the district administration for shifting of markets out of the city areas but failed.
He said that he along with traders representatives of various markets met Deputy Commissioner Chaudary Ali Randhawa and conveyed the concern of the traders community who acknowledged the problems the traders were facing.
Mir said that lack of parking space and frequent traffic jams in many markets of downtown area were losing customers and motorists were covering distances of minutes in hours due to acute encroachments and traffic stuckup.
Preisdent Anjuman Dalgaran Bazaar Sohail Akhtar said that it was a genuine demand to relocate wholesale markets as they faced problems in transporting goods to northern areas, Azad Kashmir as well as within the city due to traffic congestion.
He said that during the tenure of previous government, the local parliamentarians had promised that they would resolve the issue but “we are still waiting”, he complained.
He expressed hope that the present government would look into traders problems on priority and shift the markets to the city’s outskirts.
