KARACHI: Taking notice of agonising traffic jams in the metropolis caused by a host of factors, Inspector General of Sindh Police A. D. Khowaja on Wednesday directed the AIG Karachi and the DIG traffic police to carry out a comprehensive survey of main thoroughfares and adjoining roads of the city so that a joint traffic plan could be designed to end the chaos, which had made life of road users miserable.

Sources told Dawn that the provincial police chief had expressed extreme displeasure over ongoing traffic jams in the provincial capital and was not satisfied with the responses or excuses of the traffic authorities, who had claimed that ongoing development works and overflowing gutters had made them ‘helpless’ to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

The sources said that the IG called a meeting of the traffic police and the city police for Thursday (today) to consider causes of the traffic problems and address them.

Meanwhile, according to an official statement issued by the police spokesperson, the IG issued directions to the traffic and the city police authorities to prepare an alternative traffic plan and ensure proper deployment of district police and traffic policemen on busy roads, crossings, traffic junctions and signals, etc, so that uninterrupted flow of traffic could be ensured.

He ordered strict and impartial implementation of traffic laws.

The police chief also ordered that the prescribed timing of entry and plying of heavy vehicles on city roads should be followed without giving any concession to anyone.

Alternative traffic routes should be made for all roads undergoing development work as well as the roads which were in dilapidated condition owing to overflowing gutters or on account of choked water pipelines, the police chief ordered.

He also added that all necessary steps should be taken to inform the general public about such alternative routes.

The IG police said that encroachments and illegal parking lots were also contributing to the traffic mess, therefore, all SHOs and traffic section officers should be ordered to remove all such encroachments and parking lots immediately through a joint action of the local police and the traffic police, otherwise all officials concerned would be taken to task.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2017