16 February 2004	Monday	24 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 15: The city government has given green signal for the installation of luminous clocks at 67 vantage points in the metropolis as part of a beautification plan.

Three such clocks - one each at Schon Chowrangi in Defence, PIDC House and Rashid Minhas Road - have already been installed and the task of acquiring more electronic clocks will be completed in a year.

The idea behind the move is to educate the common man about the importance of time which has little priority in our social set up. Besides, the neon sign boards measuring 5X2-1/2 feet will also be used for conveying public service messages to create civic sense among the citizens.

This will also help the traffic police in constantly reminding the vehicle drivers and the pedestrians to follow traffic rules which have no significance in our social set up. The violations result in traffic jams and accidents, involving private and public transport alike, which have become a daily routine.

The clocks will greatly help general public in time management and create sense of punctuality among the people from all walks of life, especially the work force.

Besides the initiative will help women drivers who have to rush every morning to drop their children at school and pick them up after school hours. The planners have mounted the clocks at a height of nine feet at the three traffic signals.

The clocks are clearly visible to motorists and at night they stand out even though they are in the midst of a hoard of luminous commercial neon signs adding beauty to the surroundings.

The project, when completed, will go a long way in creating a sense of punctuality without being directly thrust on the local population. This beautification plan which has just three spots in the city so far has become talk of the town and is being welcomed by one and all.

One hopes that this project will not become a bone of contention among various civic agencies like the controversial cutting of Eucalyptus trees and plantation of date trees along the major arteries of the city.