Katchery Bazaar project draws backlash

FAISALABAD: Traders and residents have expressed concern over the prolonged delay and alleged irregularities in the multi-million-rupee Katchery Bazaar Beautification Project near Faisalabad’s Clock Tower, saying the scheme remains unfinished more than two years after work started.

The project was launched to turn the historic Katchery Bazaar into a more modern and pedestrian-friendly commercial area, with plans to improve traffic flow, civic facilities and the market’s overall appearance. However, traders say the initiative has instead come to reflect weak planning, poor oversight and mismanagement.

Trader Wasiq Mahmood said that despite the expenditure of crores of rupees, a number of basic facilities promised under the scheme were either incomplete or not working. Traders and local residents said that during the past two months, only Civil Defence personnel had been performing night duties in the market, even though four Civil Defence officials, two PERA Force personnel and two traffic wardens had been deployed to keep the area free of encroachments and traffic congestion. They alleged that the PERA personnel and traffic wardens had largely remained absent, leaving only a small number of officials to handle the situation.

Residents also alleged that several public assets installed as part of the project had disappeared without any official explanation or accountability. They said the missing items included iron pipes placed along the green belt corridor, a fire hydrant, related firefighting equipment and nearly five water coolers.

Shopper Khalid Ali said a number of project features had already deteriorated. He claimed that the hydraulic barrier was not functioning, the electric barrier had been damaged for several days, decorative and street lights were out of order, garbage bins were broken, and slabs over sewer drains had collapsed at several points. He also said encroachments were still obstructing movement in the market.

According to residents, the original plan also included five water filtration plants, but neither the required pipelines were laid nor the plants installed. They further questioned the standard of construction, citing damage to drainage infrastructure despite the project having been declared complete.

Traders and representatives of civil society have demanded a comprehensive forensic and technical audit of the agreement between the district administration and the contractor. They have also called for an investigation into the quality of construction materials, payments allegedly made before the work was completed, and the disappearance of government-owned equipment.