THIS is with reference to the death of a police constable after a quarrel with a rickshaw driver. I would like to share two of my personal experiences in this regard. Once, while driving on M.A. Jinnah Road, I saw an altercation between a rickshaw driver and a passenger. Within a few moments it turned into a physical fight. In the meantime the rickshaw driver took out an iron rod with which he attacked the passenger.

In another incident, I saw a motorcyclist hit by a rickshaw coming from the wrong side. They were in the middle of a heated argument when a couple of other rickshaws arrived, the drivers got out of their vehicle and started hitting the motorcyclist. I think the constable’s death should be a wake-up call for the traffic police. In my opinion rickshaw drivers carry concealed weapons and should be kept in check. Most rickshaw drivers have no respect for traffic rules and carry fake registration numbers as well.

It is unfortunate that the traffic police have failed to regulate this city’s traffic. Recently, the police issued a notification against wrong side driving, which is one of the many driving violations we face. I am afraid this notification is not going to be enforced in its true spirit and things will remain the way they have always been.

I suggest that the traffic police should conduct a random search of rickshaws for weapons, registration papers, number plates, driving licences and under age driving. And last, but not least, the traffic police must act against all traffic violations no matter who the culprit is.

Dr Mirza Ali Azhar
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2018