AS has often been written in research papers, surveys and news items, Karachi, ever since its population crossed the three-million mark in the 1970s, began to face all sorts of traffic issues. Shortage and shabby condition of public transport, high petrol prices and poor road infrastructure gave the authorities concerned a lot to think about. On March 18, 1974, it was reported that three hundred bus chassis were to be handed over to the Sindh Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) by their manufacturers soon. After fitted with bodies, they would be operational to hit the roads by mid-April. Talking to the media, the Provincial Transport Minister, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, claimed that a fleet of 200 buses imported from Italy had been ordered by the SRTC to ease the transport problem of the city. He was of the view that compared to locally-assembled vehicles, foreign buses were more durable.

These days, parking fee (called ‘charged parking’ in local lingo) in some neighbourhoods of Karachi is often debated. It is not something that happened in the 21st century. On March 19, it came to light that the city administration was considering introducing parking fee in the busy localities on an experimental basis. The Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) had brought from abroad and installed parking meters a few years back at Abdullah Haroon Road. However, the scheme was quietly dropped for some unknown reasons. According to a survey, a sum of Rs3m per year could be earned by using the meters. Today, in 2024, that system, though without any machines, is in place in quite a few areas.

Given the multifaceted nature of the issue, in February (1974), Karachi’s traffic police had begun a campaign against the bus operators who did not follow rules and regulations. On March 21, a story in Dawn revealed that the much publicised drive against errant bus drivers and conductors involved in overtaking, overloading and negligent driving launched by the traffic police had failed to produce satisfactory results. Apparently, policemen themselves seemed to be lukewarm in enforcing the rules.

While the Sindh capital was grappling with civic issues, the art scene in the city, as always, was flourishing. On March 18, a three-day exhibition of Anwar Maqsood’s paintings was inaugurated at the Arts Council by the Chief Minister of Sindh, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi. [Yes, the same Anwar Maqsood, who was subsequently recognised as the country’s foremost writer for television and stage; he’s also a top-notch artist.] A review of the show read: “Individuality and perception stand out in Maqsood’s new paintings in oil and watercolour. A flood of colours both in sharp contrast and perfect harmony create forms and patterns… At a glance it appears as if these forms and patterns have emerged out of loops and circles interwoven into one another; colours either emerging from themselves or clashing with each other. To it, the artist has introduced the use of gold and silver powder to come up with a soothing effect. The delicacy of the colour scheme is also engaging in quite a few paintings, highlighting the rhythmic flow of his paintbrush. By and large, Maqsood’s work seems to be inspired by our rich cultural past.”

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024