Major Revamp Planned for Quetta: No-Parking Zones, Pedestrian Areas, and Crackdown on Encroachments Announced
QUETTA:On the directives of the Chief Minister of Balochistan, an important meeting was held under the chairmanship of Commissioner Quetta Division Hamza Shafqaat to discuss the improvement and beautification of Quetta city.
The meeting was attended by Additional Commissioner Quetta Division Agha Samiullah, Deputy Commissioner Quetta Capt. (R) Mehar Ullah Badini, SSP Traffic Behram Khan, SSP City, Director Development, Assistant Commissioners from Revenue, Political, and City sectors, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue, Deputy Director of Quetta Beautification Plan, Chief Metropolitan Corporation Quetta, and officials from other concerned departments.
Key decisions made during the meeting included declaring Liaquat Bazaar, Kandahari Bazaar, and Prince Road as **no-parking zones**, with immediate removal of all vehicles and carts. Traffic cones and staff will be deployed by the district administration, metropolitan corporation, and traffic police to enforce the new measures.
Additionally, **Jinnah Road (from Manan Chowk to Circular Road)** will be designated for pedestrian use from **6 PM to 10 PM daily**. All roadside carts on **Joint Road** will be removed to improve traffic flow.
As part of beautification efforts, **planters with trees** will be placed in front of shops on Liaquat Bazaar, Kandahari Bazaar, and Joint Road, with shopkeepers responsible for their upkeep. A significant step includes restricting **rickshaw entry in central business areas (to be declared “downtown”)** and promoting the use of **electric vehicles**.
Other major decisions:
* Parking fees will be charged on main roads (excluding no-parking zones).
* **Strict ban on wall chalking**; violators will face FIRs and arrests.
* **Almo Chowk declared no-parking zone**; enforcement measures ordered.
* Illegal shops built over **drainage on Circular Road** will be demolished.
* All unauthorized **banners and posters** will be removed immediately.
* **Anti-begging operations** will be intensified.
* Signboards on **Abdul Sattar Road** shops to be improved promptly by designated firms.
* The **mutton market** will soon undergo construction for a new plaza with excavation work to begin shortly.
* Daily operations will target **encroachments** and aim to enhance city **cleanliness**.
It was also decided that the **Metropolitan Corporation** will provide **additional staff** to traffic police for no-parking zone enforcement. Non-cooperation will result in **withheld salaries** of responsible staff.
Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat emphasized during the meeting that **bold and firm decisions** are necessary for the betterment of Quetta. He added that **traffic management, removal of encroachments, and cleanliness** will be top priorities, urging all departments to collaborate fully to resolve the persistent traffic congestion in the city’s commercial hubs.
