SAHIWAL: Illegal parking and unchecked encroachments near five entrance gates of the District Courts create problems for the commuters traveling to various locations in Sahiwal, including Five Ways Chowk, Zila Council Office, DPO Office, Tehsil Road, Commissioner Office on Allama Iqbal Road, and two entrances of the Sessions Court.

Traffic congestion is a persistent issue for the citizens, often causing long traffic jams. It is said the annual parking contract was managed by the Deputy Commissioner`s office; however, it is now allegedly awarded by the president of the District Bar Association (DBA). The association office-bearer collects the revenue generated through ille-gal parking stands set up on the road, choking the traffic.

Local parking contractors, Zafar Wattoo and his brother Mazhar Wattoo, have told Dawn that the contract value has risen significantly and starting at Rsim seven yearsback,ithasescalatedtoabout Rs7m now.

Sources have informed Dawn that the next auction for the parking contract would take place on April 18. The parking lot auction advertisement has been issued by DBA President Malik Saeed Saghla on local social media platforms and bidding would start at Rs7m, requiring a pay draft of Rs3m from the bidders to participate in the auction. All payments are deposited to the DBA office-bearer`s account.

Commuters express frustration at the use of public roads as parking lots, which exacerbates traffic issues. Fiber sheds for motorcycles and cars have been constructed by the private contractors along the outer boundary walls of the District Courts and District Council, further hindering the traffic flow.Rasheed Akmal, a resident of Farid Town, says the roads are for public traffic, yet the parking revenue exclusively benefits the DBA.

The metropolitan corporation has the authority to award 29 parking contracts at different locations in Sahiwal city and presently it is earning Rs5.5m under this head but the corporation does not award parking contract outside the District Courts. The main parking space located near the entrance gate of the Regional Police Officer`s residence is similarly affected, with hundreds of motorcycles and cars parked daily, leading to severe congestion.

Reports indicate that most vehicles belong to lawyers, their assistants, court employees and lawyers` clients visiting the courts. With over 2,000 motorcycles and around 100 cars parked daily at the site, the situation has gotten out of control.

Citizens and civil society members demand the DBA purchase land to develop dedicated parking facilities rather than using public roads for revenue generation.Sahiwal Metropolitan Corporation CEO Sheikh Ashfaq confirms that the former commissioner Javed Mahmood had denotified the parking contract, which is now under the purview of the DBA president. He says that all roads are public and that the DBA lacks designatedlandforparking.

Speaking to Dawn, DBA President Malik Saeed Saghla acknowledges the parking-related traffic problems faced by both lawyers and the public.

He says the DBA is urging the district government to allocate the land for parking because the association has no space to develop a parking lot on the district court premises. Once such land is designated, the DBA plans to develop parking facilities with its own financial resources.

However, the question arises that if the DBA has been generating revenue of millions of rupees annually, why is it asking the government to designate land for its parking lot instead of buying its own land. This question remains unanswered.