Ahmed Khan Malik

Karachi’s major commercial centers are facing deteriorating civic conditions, undermining business activity, discouraging customers, and increasing operational costs, Wealth Pakistan reports. Additionally, the power outages have severely affected the commercial activities.

According to business leaders, issues such as broken roads, overflowing sewage, irregular garbage collection, streetlight outages, and the absence of parking facilities have become a routine across the city’s busiest marketplaces. The problems, they claim, have escalated in recent months, pushing some businesses to the brink of closure.

At Saddar’s famed electronics market, shopkeepers said they face daily struggles with clogged drains that spill wastewater onto footpaths. Customers are often forced to tiptoe around puddles or turn back, resulting in a noticeable decline in foot traffic.

“We spend money from our own pockets to clean the area around our shops, but the problem restarts the next day,” Rizwan Irfan, Chairman of Electronic Market Association, Karachi, told Wealth Pakistan. “Customers avoid coming here in the evening because the roads are dark and congested. The streetlights stop working for weeks, hurting business,” he said.

In Clifton and Defence commercial zones, traders highlighted a different set of concerns. While the roads are comparatively better maintained, sporadic water shortages and malfunctioning drainage systems after rain leave the markets waterlogged and smelly.

“Every time it rains, stormwater mixes with sewage and floods the streets. Customers don’t want to step out of their cars, let alone walk around,” said Jameel Paracha, a trader in the Clifton Boat Basin area. Gulshan-e-Iqbal's business community has also expressed frustration over the lack of waste management and regular maintenance. Plazas along University Road and the surrounding commercial strips grapple with garbage piling up for days.

Shopkeepers said the hiring of private cleaners is adding to their financial strain. Representatives of various trade associations have urged the local government departments to take immediate action. “The city’s economy is heavily dependent on the commercial centers, and prolonged civic neglect could have long-term consequences,” said Rauf Ibrahim, Chairman of Old City Wholesalers Association.

He noted that continued deterioration may drive customers to online shopping or to more organized marketplaces outside the city’s traditional hubs. He called for a coordinated plan among the municipal corporations, water and sewerage authorities, and traffic management departments.

According to him, inconsistent coordination among the agencies is one of the main reasons that the civic problems remain unresolved. He requested regular maintenance schedules, transparent reporting mechanisms, and dedicated complaint-response systems for the commercial zones.

Long-hour power outages are another concern, as the business activity in Jodia Bazaar, Karachi’s largest wholesale market and a key artery of the country’s commercial lifeline, has almost come to a halt. Traders cautioned that if uninterrupted electricity is not restored, the consequences will devastate not only the local commerce but also the national economy.

Talking to Wealth Pakistan, Chairman of Pakistan Chemicals & Dyes Merchants Association (PCDMA) Salim Vali Muhammad said traders are unable to comply with the mandatory requirements, such as sales tax e-returns, income tax filings, and e-invoicing, due to the erratic electricity supply.

“From inventory management to the FBR’s digital systems, nothing is functioning. Under these conditions, it has become almost impossible to carry out essential office work,” he said. He said Jodia Bazar is among the highest revenue-generating markets for the government, but the traders are being forced to cancel transactions or rely on costly backup generators. He added that despite repeated correspondence, K-Electric has not responded to the association’s concerns.

Credit: INP-WealthPk