KARACHI, Aug 12: Everyday there are deaths caused by road accidents in the city because of rash driving. These accidents often result in the burning of vehicles by violent mobs, and in case the law enforcement agencies fail to reach the spot on time, accidents produce chain reactions creating law and order problems.

Former Sindh governor Muhammadmian Soomro amended the Sindh Motor Vehicles Ordinance (Amended) 1965 on April 13, 2000 making it obligatory on all public transporters to install the “speed governor” in their vehicles.

But even after three years and three months the regional transport authorities in Sindh have failed to implement the ordinance.

During the period, according to an estimate, over 3000 accidents claimed hundreds of precious lives and caused financial losses running into millions in the form of vehicle-burning and compensation.

Most vehicles are rickety, their seats torn out, windowpanes broken, foot-boards uneven and meters tempered with. With the passage of time things have gone from bad to worse despite the rise in fares every now and then.

Karachi is Pakistan’s financial capital inhabited by over 13 million people having 1.2 million registered vehicles, including motorbikes, for the city’s 7400-km road network. One hundred thousand vehicles are added every year, which further congests the roads making it impossible for people to drive their vehicles as per traffic rules.

Most of the accidents occur due to rash driving and overtaking for want of enforcement of the ordinance. Even after 40 months of the passing of the ordinance, neither the RTA nor any law enforcement agency has bothered to check whether transporters are acting accordingly. The powerful mafia operating in the transport sector in Sindh easily blocks every move of the government to discipline the transport system.

Under the amended ordinance no person can drive any stage carriage if the speed governor, duly sealed, is not fitted in the vehicle.

The transport system in Karachi is in a very bad shape. A severe shortage of vehicles, the resultant overcrowding and the poor quality of service cause immense hardships to the commuters.

The RTA succumbs to the pressure of transporters whenever the POL prices are raised, by allowing them increase in the fares without compliance to the various decisions taken in the past.

Had the ordinance, which was drafted by the law department of the Sindh government, been enforced, many precious lives could have been saved. Under the amendment the following new rules were inserted:

(1) Every stage carriage plying the route or routes specified by the provincial transport authority shall be equipped with a speed governor and RPM sealed in the manner and instructions issued by the authority, so that the vehicle does not run beyond the speed as specified by the government.

(2) A permit holder required to fix a speed governor in his stage carriage under subrule 1 shall produce it before the motor vehicles examiner of the area or any agency or garage authorised by the provincial transport authority for examination and test and shall produce it again before such motor vehicle examiner, agency or garage for examination whenever the vehicle is required to be inspected or for any reason it becomes necessary to break the seal of its speed governor.

(3) No persons shall drive or cause or permit to be driven any stage carriage if the speed governor and RMP duly sealed is not fitted therein or not fixed in accordance with the manner and instructions issued under subrule 1.

(4) If any police officer not below the rank of ASI or any motor vehicles examiner, or any officer of the provincial or regional authority, has reason to believe that a stage carriage fitted with the speed governor is defective or has been tampered with, he may stop such stage carriage and in order to test such speed governor direct the driver or person in charge of the stage carriage to produce it at the office of a motor vehicle examiner or at any other place specified by him, and take or cause to be taken such other steps as he may consider appropriate for the purpose.