KARACHI: Outside the emergency gate of Civil Hospital Karachi, an organized charged parking mafia has made life miserable for patients and their attendants. The parking zone operates 24 hours a day with fake receipts, overcharging, and frequent altercations with families visiting the hospital.
Due to double-lane illegal parking, ambulances often struggle to access the emergency area. Citizens complain that the parking staff charge Rs. 50 per motorcycle using counterfeit receipts that bear no official seal or government rate list. There is also no authorized signage indicating any approved parking zone.
Municipal sources reveal that the TMC Saddar administration has failed to remove the illegal setup, repeatedly using an expired court stay order as an excuse. The alleged court order under which it operates reportedly expired three years ago after the completion of an auction process — rendering it legally ineffective.
Residents have raised serious questions, asking whether a “court stay order” gives the right to commit overcharging, harassment, and public inconvenience. They also allege collusion between the parking mafia, area police, traffic officials, and local TMC staff, allowing the illegal operation to continue without fear of action.
According to eyewitnesses, the mafia issues white receipts during the day and pink ones at night to deceive citizens and continue daily extortion amounting to hundreds of thousands of rupees.
Citizens have appealed to the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court to take notice and lift the stay orders on all 27 parking sites reportedly controlled by this mafia, so that relevant authorities can take strict enforcement action.
They also urged the Administrator Karachi, Chairman TMC Saddar, and Director of Charged Parking Saddar to immediately act against the illegal parking network operating outside Civil Hospital’s emergency gate and bring those involved to justice.
