KARACHI, March 22: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has asked the authorities concerned to take steps making the Road Safety Year meaningful with the cooperation of community and NGOs.

Ishratul Ibad was presiding over a meeting, which reviewed action plan for the observance of the year, at the Governor’s House on Tuesday.

The governor had issued directive last year for observance of 2005 as the Year of Road Safety with the vision that Sindh should be a well-managed, accident free, clean and dynamic province as a model for the rest of the country.

In this regard, the DG Mass Transit was directed to chalk out a line of action and he briefed the meeting about the details thereof. The governor stressed on keeping the causes of traffic accidents in view during the Road Safety Year.

IG Asad Jehangir informed the meeting that victims of accidents include 50 per cent pedestrians and 25 per cent motorcyclists.

The governor called for working on the theme keeping such facts in view. He directed that notorious points of accidents should be identified and traffic management plans be chalked out accordingly.

Dr Ibad ordered the construction of a network of underpasses like the one in Saddar and Liaquatabad as a part of road safety measures in Karachi where traffic congestion is assuming monstrous dimensions and causing increasing number of accidents. He emphasized the need for initiating steps to facilitate the pedestrians and called for measures to keep footpaths clean and arranging zebra crossings besides proper guidance and awareness.

It was decided that sub-ways on these locations should be kept bright, airy and used for positive activities. The governor directed that cooperation of private sector should be obtained under transparent strategy.

He also ordered the finance department to release Rs35 million to traffic police which it had collected through challans and deposited in provincial account.

Dr Ibad underlined the need for a mass education programme about traffic safety and sought cooperation from media in achieving the objective. The idea of building more overhead bridges was rejected as outmoded, not only in Karachi but elsewhere in the world too.

To start with, he said that five “black spots” will be identified where such passes would be built on priority basis with private sector’s help. Traffic police and the city district government were assigned to select such spots, like the road in front of Funland in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Nagan Chowrangi, Civic Centre, and Nazimabad Chowrangi.

Two dozen other spots would also be identified and emergency response centres would be set up for public facility, he said.

The governor emphasized upon ensuring the drive for awareness and taking the people into confidence before arranging for the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, use of helmets by motorcyclists, fitness of vehicles etc. He directed that besides Help Line No 915, telephone numbers of concerned responsible persons should also be displayed at the rear of commercial vehicles so that in case of complaint, they could be immediately contacted.

He directed the IG police to organize a regular monitoring system for implementation of the decisions taken at the meeting.—APP