January 30, 2002	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 15, 1422

KARACHI: The traffic police have once again launched a campaign in the city to rein in the transporters with renewed vigour, though two months ago their drive to persuade the coach operators not to allow standing passengers failed miserably.

The previous drive, at the end of October, by the traffic police failed to provide relief to the commuters. Government officials attributed the failure of the campaign to conflicting stands taken by the officials of the city administration and the traffic police, which ultimately benefited the transporters.

It was not the first time that the traffic police and the city administration had to bow before the transporters. Many a time in the past the transporters had threatened strike to get their demands accepted.

However, the new Inspector-General of Sindh Police, Syed Kamal Shah, is committed to improve the traffic management system in the city and enforce the writ of law. He has said that he would not tolerate blackmailing tactics of the transport mafia. He has also made a commitment to identify the spaces to be utilized as parking lots to reduce the load of parking on busy roads.

The recent drive launched, under section 279 of PPC, by the traffic police from Jan 8 against reckless driving by public transport drivers has caused uneasiness among transporters as drivers, who are arrested under this section, have to be produced in court where they have to deposit a surety for their release on bail.

The nervousness the campaign has caused among transporters can be gauged from the fact that one of the two major groups of transporters planned to stage a rally on Jan 19 in front of Capri Cinema on M. A. Jinnah Road in support of their other interests and to press the government to stop the campaign against them. However, police foiled their attempt to stage the rally, arrested 32 drivers and conductors and seized their 22 vehicles. This group of transporters also threatened a wheel-jam strike on Jan 23, if their demands were not met. A delegation of the group met the Naib Nazim of the city government, and after this meeting they withdrew their strike call for Jan 23.

The traffic police’s campaign is continuing to discipline drivers. However, the provincial government is keeping transporters happy as it has allowed increase in fares following a rise in diesel/POL prices. This increase in transport fares is unjustified because there has been significant decline in POL prices in the past several months, but transporters reduced fares only once: 1-2 rupee reduction in coach fares and 50 paisa cut in bus fares. The fare cut lasted hardly a month, and then again they were increased.

The increase in fares has pacified transporters to some extent, but the arrest of their drivers is worrying them as police have booked more than 600 drivers for reckless driving in a fortnight and challaned them in courts.

It has been observed that overspeeding is a major problem in the c