KARACHI, Nov 22: Traffic chaos all around the D.J. Science College and S.M. Law College has become a matter of routine owing to dug-up roads and stagnant sewage affecting a large portion of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road.
The ploughed section of the road passing along the two colleges is the main factor responsible for the bottlenecks created by the debris of earth and construction material, seriously undermining a smooth flow of vehicular traffic and movement of pedestrians.
The situation worsens during peak hours when a large number of vehicles coming from I. I. Chundrigar Road and proceeding ahead either towards Mohammad Bin Qasim Road or Deen Mohammad Wafai Road mingle with the deluge of vehicles coming from Pakistan Chowk and Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road near the D.J. College roundabout, leaving no space for those coming from the opposite side to move ahead.
All the vehicles approaching the college roundabout from the four directions, i.e. from Spencer’s Building to Pakistan Chowk on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Mohammad Bin Qasim Road, Deen Mohammad Wafai Road and I. I. Chundrigar Road, repeatedly create a gridlock, sometimes running into hours.
Filthy water gushing out of choked sewers has also inundated a portion of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road and has already created a number of deep ditches elsewhere along it. As a result, vehicles not only get stuck up in the ditches, but also skid owing to slippery conditions prevailing there for long.
The worst sufferers are students of both the D. J. Science College S. M. Law College as whenever flow of traffic comes to a halt around these institutions, drivers of stuck up buses, minibuses, coaches, cars and bikes block all the adjoining streets and create noise pollution, most of them by blowing horns constantly.
It has also been observed that a couple of traffic constables, who usually remain present near the S. M. Law College, fail to cope with the situation, watching helplessly and waiting for the stuck up vehicles to make way by themselves.
People residing in a number of apartment buildings in the locality have been complaining that prolonged traffic jams had been occurring there for six or seven months. They also complain that the authorities concerned are taking no measures to remove stagnant filthy water and repair the damaged pipelines and roads.
They maintain that the stinking conditions, blocked access and noise pollution had made their life miserable.
