Karachi's Sindhi Muslim Food Walk Sparks Controversy Over Seating Charges and Traffic Woes
Visitors to Karachi's new Sindhi Muslim Food Walk report being charged Rs. 600 for sitting without ordering, while residents complain of increased traffic congestion. Authorities deny collecting fees and urge complaints.
Karachi's newly developed Sindhi Muslim Food Walk has come under scrutiny after visitors reported being charged Rs. 600 for sitting on restaurant chairs without ordering food or drinks. According to Geo Digital, several visitors said they were asked to pay the amount when using the outdoor seating, which restaurants have placed along a revamped pedestrian pathway designed for outdoor dining.
A restaurant employee claimed the charge covered monthly fees allegedly collected by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the relevant Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) for tables and chairs. However, TMC Chanesaar Town, which oversees the food walk, denied that either the town administration or KMC collects such fees from restaurants. The administration has asked citizens to submit written complaints or photographs identifying restaurants demanding payment, and said it would seek explanations from the businesses concerned.
The controversy has raised questions about whether the arrangement discourages middle-class families from visiting the public space. One social media user who also faced the Rs. 600 demand questioned whether the extra cost would keep away those who cannot afford additional spending on food and drinks.
Businesses have also voiced concerns since the food walk opened. An anonymous source told Geo Digital that traders faced pressure to sign agreements with the town administration to install billboards along the food walk, which the source described as inspired by streets in New York and Türkiye. The source also claimed restaurant sales had fallen since the inauguration, partly due to parking arrangements.
PECHS resident Ghulam Hassan told Geo Digital that closing the Sindhi Muslim Food Walk to vehicles had pushed traffic into surrounding residential streets. Hassan, whose family has lived in the area for 40 years, stressed that restaurants had operated there long before the redevelopment. He recalled that excavation during reconstruction had already made access difficult for residents and customers, and said that despite expectations of improvement, congestion and disorder had increased since the inauguration.
The food walk was envisioned as a modern outdoor dining and pedestrian space, but the emerging complaints highlight the challenges of balancing public access, business interests, and residential concerns in urban development projects.
