PESHAWAR: Like other districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa, eid shopping activities have also reached to its peak in Peshawar especially after iftar where people along with families and children are being seen in large number to buy appropriate goods ranging from clothes, readymade suites to footwear to celebrate the festival in most befitting manner.
Eid shoppers, who are coming in droves from adjoining districts, are facing great problems due to lack of vehicles parking facilities in most of the shopping centres and arcades besides traffic jams ahead of iftar.
As few days left in Eidul Fitr celebrations, people started thronged to markets and shopping centres soon after Iftari at Peshawar’s main shopping arcades where great rush of buyers including children and girls were being seen in stalls at cantonment, Tehkal, University Road, Jehingirabad and Qissa Khwani till late night.
Most shoppers are seen parking their vehicles on main roads due to lack of car parking facilities in shopping centres and arcades, res
ulting in massive traffic jams in Peshawar ahead of iftar.
The problem of parking is one of the great challenges for police and district administration to counter as the number of vehicles started increasing in Peshawar during last days of Ramadan and enlarged further on Chand Raat.
“Traffic jams are a big issue these days in Peshawar. I came along with my family from Nowshera to Peshawar on Friday afternoon for shopping and spent about two hours at University Road due to traffic mess,” said Qaiser Khan, a retired Wapda employee while talking to reporter.
He said disorderly parking has not only paralysed transportation systems but has also resulted in heightened mental stress among pedestrians and motorists besides patients. He said the BRT corridor, which was constructed in haste, has further aggravated the traffic situation.
The absence of proper parking places near shopping centres forces people to park their vehicles on the roadside, footpaths and resultantly people spend hours on roads due to massive
traffic jams before reaching their destinations and many break Iftar inside their vehicles.
Qaiser said the absence of traffic wardens during iftar times has further exacerbated the traffic woes, contributing to an escalating problem.
He said shoppers frequently get caught up in traffic snarl-ups, particularly in front of shopping centres such as Deans Trade Centre, CT Tower, Qissa Khwani and University Road due to lack of car parking.
‘Most of contractors of private car parking contractors are currently charging Rs50 to Rs100 per vehicle that cannot be afforded by middle class and low income groups,’ he said.
Qaiser said that it was the responsibility of district administration, Peshawar Development Authority and police to ensure car parking facilities in all major plazas and arcades for facilitation of people and strict action should be taken against price hikers.