Traffic violations are on the rise in the megacity Karachi as traffic police and related civic agencies are sitting cross-legged, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman AltafShakoor here Sunday. He said wrong-side driving and violation of traffic light signals has become a routine in Karachi, as the traffic police are more interested in extorting bribes from citizens than controlling traffic and getting road rules implemented.
He said the majority of bikers don’t wear protective crash helmets. He said 90 percent of rickshaws running in Karachi don’t have a registration number, valid papers or a license holder driver, but the traffic police don’t care. He said only traffic police are not responsible for road mess in the megacity, but also the civic agencies that let road barriers dug up or removed to allow wrong flow of traffic and illegal dangerous shortcuts.
He said an example of this malpractice is seen at Teen Hati where road barriers are removed for wrong flow traffic from PIB Colony to Lasbella even when a flyover is present on this route.
He said such malpractice could also be found in many other neighborhoods of Karachi. Another bad example of illegal traffic is seen on Superhighway or M9 where bikes, cycles and even donkey carts are seen on the main highway near Suhrab Goth because both sides of the highway for side roads are occupied by truck, dumper and bus transporters, mechanics, vendors and KatchiAbadi dwellers.
The NHA and civic agencies are just silent spectators like the traffic police.
In Karachi almost half of the vehicle drivers and majority of bikers don’t have valid driving licenses because issuance of these licenses is a difficult process marred with corruption. Police should set up learning driving license desks at every police station and each and every traffic police post to ensure that no driver comes on road with a driving license. Similarly bikers not wearing helmets should be booked for traffic violations and fined heavily to discourage the trend of driving without a valid license, as well as, underage driving. He said illegal bus terminals are operating in Cantt Station, Sardar and many other areas of the city but police take no action against them. Similarly heavy traffic is allowed in the city during the prohibited hours after taking bribery which must be ended. AltafShakoor requested the caretaker chief minister Justice MaqboolBaqar and IGP Sindh police, city traffic police bosses, KMC, NHA and all other stakeholders to play their due role in ending traffic violations in the megacity Karachi.
