KARACHI, Sept 14: Another day of traffic jams on many city roads inconvenienced motorists on Tuesday, as the law enforcers closed various roads for security reasons in connection with the international defence exhibition, IDEAS-2004.
The citizens had been facing the problem for the past two days, as the police failed to manage the traffic flow on many city roads. Almost permanent closure of Fatima Jinnah Road by the police and the Rangers to safeguard the US Consul General residence, and partial closure of a part of Abdullah Haroon Road for the security of the US Consulate, caused the jams around Metropole.
The traffic volume around the Metropole Hotel increased manifold as the Rangers closed the Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Road for traffic owing to the President Pervez Musharraf's stay at the Army House.
Sharea Faisal's portion from Metropole to the FTC Bridge remained gripped by intermittent jams, as the police failed to manage the traffic. The impact of these jams was also felt on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Clifton bridge, Hoshang Chowk, and Fountain Chowk on Abdullah Haroon Road.
Besides, the police and Rangers occupied the fast track (right track) on Sharea Faisal and closed it for the vehicles. An official said that the track was occupied, so that the president's convoy, which was to pass through other side of the road, could be saved from any possible sabotage attempt.
The traffic jams were also seen on the roads opening on Sharea Faisal. The parking on the either side of the main artery was banned, and motorists had to face severe hardships in finding parking place for their vehicles. The reports of traffic jams were also received from NIPA on Rashid Minhas Road, Stadium Road, Old Sabzi Mandi, Gharibabad, Liaquatabad, Saddar, and other areas.
TRAFFIC POLICE VERSION: A spokesman of Traffic Police has contradicted the reports regarding traffic jams for hours on various mainthoroughfares of the city on the first day of the Ideas-2004 exhibition on Monday, adds APP.
The spokesman, in a clarification on Tuesday, said the traffic police hadidentified alternative routes with the help of a mapfor the convenience of the public. He urged the people to cooperate with traffic police by following the route map.
