KARACHI, Aug 15: The Supreme Court asked the city nazim, the provincial transport secretary and the traffic police on Wednesday to submit ‘concrete proposals’ by Friday to overcome the worsening traffic problem of the city.
Justices Rana Bhagwandas and Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi had taken suo motu notice of the traffic chaos in Karachi on the eve of the Independence Day, when tens of thousands of motorists and commuters were stranded for hours while returning home from work. Traffic police deputy inspector-general Wajid Ali Khan appeared on Wednesday in response to the court notice of Aug 13.
The DIG submitted a report explaining the factors behind traffic problems and verbally blamed encroachments, illegal intra-city and intercity bus stops and termini, population growth and digging of roads for repair or re-carpeting for the malaise. Thousands of trucks, trailers, buses, coaches and cars moved into, within and out of the city on any given day and the traffic police strength was not sufficient to cope with the heavy volume of traffic, he said.
The traffic police had suggested several times that trucks and trailers should be allowed to enter the city only in the evening, but to no avail. About 55 roads were currently dug up in the city. He said bus permits and routes were issued by the transport department, adding that 70 per cent of the problem could be solved if the municipal authorities co-operated.
The court observed that there were long-term problems amenable to long-term solutions. It wanted to see whether urgent measures could be taken to control the situation and provide some relief to the public. It was more interested in practical and practicable steps.
Justice Nawaz Abbasi pointed out that wherever he went in Karachi, it took him at least one hour to reach his destination. Talking about a Defence boulevard that did not occur on any route, he pointed out that buses and coaches freely ran on it.
The bench also remarked that according to some reports, traffic controllers were nowhere to be seen during the Aug 13 traffic jams. It said the traffic police should realise what the jams and hurdles cost in a city like Karachi. Business, offices, port, air and rail travellers, hospitals and patients and students and educational institutions all suffered because of traffic jams. In fact, they paralysed life. It was a criminal wastage of time, it observed.
The bench passed the following order after briefly hearing the DIG: “Pursuant to the order dated August 13, DIG Wajid Ali Khan has entered appearance. He has filed certain statements reflecting the length and breadth of roads, number of vehicles operating in the city, intercity buses and heavy vehicles entering the city and the strength of staff sanctioned as well as working on side and the problems being faced by the traffic police. He suggests that the problems can be sorted out with the active co-operation of the city police, the city district government and the secretary, transport department, government of Sindh.
“With the regard to co-operation by and co-ordination with the city police, he (the DIG) would take up the issue with the provincial police officer (the IGP). .”
