KARACHI, May 24: Participants of a discussion agreed that no particular individual was behind the ruining of the past glories of Karachi but rather the present system was responsible for it. These observations were made in a panel discussion on “Let us all restore glory of Karachi” held jointly by “The Reformers” and “Helpline” at a local hotel here on Tuesday.

DIG Traffic Police, M Yameen Khan, CPLC Chief Sharfuddin Memon, Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) President Irshad Bukhari, Barrister Ayesha T Haq, Former Commissioner Karachi and Federal Secretary Shahid Aziz Siddiqui, Chairman Helpline Trust A Hameed Maker and President The Reformers Farhat Ali participated in the discussion.

DIG Traffic Police M Yameen Khan said that 70 per cent of the city population resided in slums but those areas were created without any prior planning.

Mr Khan suggested that a new plan for the city must be designed keeping in view the basic human needs.

He apprised that about 1.3 million vehicles were plying on the city roads, out of them buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles comprising just 4 per cent of the entire transport were involved in 70 per cent of road accidents.

In this connection, he asked the government to introduce proper changes in law by converting bailable crimes into non-bailable ones.

He further said in order to control such incidents 3 to 14 days mandatory prison should be awarded in minor accidents.

“Pedestrians have not got their due right of footpath facility”, he informed and added that newly constructed flyovers by the city government had been constructed were also useless for the pedestrians.

Citing an example of the newly constructed Shah Faisal flyover, he said no facility was available there for pedestrians and for their assistance at least five traffic personnel had to be posted on the bridge but now the city government had installed a traffic signal there.

KTI President Irshad Bukhari said that police used to be more responsible regarding their duties, but now it had failed to create a sense of protection among masses.

He deplored that transporters were also involved in violating the rules and regulations.

Talking about free flow of traffic, the participants opined that the city government should take measures to remove garbage and encroachments from the city roads.

They asked the city government to complete electricity, telephone and other cabling works and fill all the ditches along roads, posing serious threats to the lives of citizens.

They suggested that a large number of buses were not fit for plying on roads and some 50 per cent of them should not be allowed on the roads.

They urged the government to increase the salaries of its servants as according to them low salaries were a major cause of corrupt practices in most of the government departments.

The speakers further suggested that the concerned authorities must ensure alternate traffic resources like circular railway, promote CNG by reducing price of its kit, so that citizens could get better opportunities of transportation and create a pollution-free environment in the city.

They maintained that to allow one or two police mobiles and policemen to VIPs for their protection was in fact injustice to the public and the participants also condemned blockade of the roads for VIP movements.

In this regard, DIG traffic police apprised the moot that a total of 220 mobiles were being escorted with the VIPs, but now all concerned ministries of Sindh were providing vehicles and expenses in this regard and his department had just to provide them with drivers. — PPI