KARACHI, Nov 15: Heavy traffic jams of longer durations, particularly during peak hours, have become routine on Jail Chowrangi, Kashmir Road and Jamshed Road owing to closure of New M A Jinnah Road (from Jail Chowrangi to Islamia Science College) and Kashmir Road’s one track (from CDGK Officers Club to Jail Chowrangi).

A major portion of New M A Jinnah Road, each of its track having four lanes and which caters to the need of motorists proceeding to and from Guru Mandir and M A Jinnah Road via Jail Chowrangi (Shaheed-i-Millat Road-University Road traffic intersection) was dug up for its reconstruction about three months back but work on it is progressing at a snail’s pace.

Because of this, the vehicles proceeding towards M A Jinnah Road and Guru Mandir via Jail Chowrangi have no choice but to take the narrow route of Kashmir Road which has only two lanes.

Except for traffic proceeding towards Jail Chowrangi from Guru Mandir and M A Jinnah Road, a large number of vehicular traffic approaching towards Jail Chowrangi from three other directions i.e. either from Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Hassan Square or from Shaheed-i-Millat Road or from PIB Colony for reaching Guru Mandir or M A Jinnah is diverted on Kashmir Road where traffic moves slowly.

Though the vehicular traffic proceeding towards Jail Chowrangi either from M A Jinnah Road or Guru Mandir was still plying on one track of under-construction New M A Jinnah Road (from Islamia Science College to Jail Chowrangi), the vehicular traffic often remains exposed to the danger of a head-on collusion with the vehicles coming from the opposite direction on the same track.

Besides, frequent movement of water tankers drawing water from the nearby Muslimabad hydrant creates hindrance in the smooth flow of vehicular traffic.

Independent sources in the CDGK’s traffic department said that although Jamshed Road which runs parallel to New M A Jinnah Road could be used as an alternative route, traffic flows there on one lane as its both sides often remain heavily crowded with parked vehicles which are repaired by workshops along the road.

The shopkeepers of silencers, radiators and other spares are not responsible for getting the width of the road reduced to half but have also encroached upon the entire footpath, literally leaving no space for pedestrians, and a number of accidents involving pedestrians have already taken place there.