KARACHI: As the traffic police remain under fire over unabated killings of people by reckless driving of truck drivers in the city, Governor Kamran Khan Tessori has sought the Sindh High Court’s intervention to address the growing crisis of fatal accidents by heavy vehicles.

In a letter to the SHC chief justice, the governor expressed grave concern over the increase in accidents involving heavy vehicles in the city.

“The alarming frequency of such incidents reflects administrative negligence and lack of regulatory enforcement,” he said.

Mr Tessori said that the SHC had recently ordered that the movement of heavy vehicles be restricted from 7am to 11pm, with violators facing impounding of vehicles.

“However, reports suggest that enforcement remains inconsistent, which has intensified public safety concerns,” he added.

“Given the severity of the situation, I urge honourable high court to ensure strict implementation of its directives and take notice of administrative lapses contributing to these fatal accidents. The loss of innocent lives is unacceptable, and immediate corrective measures must be taken to regulate heavy vehicles’ movement and hold violators accountable,” he wrote.

Court asked to ensure implementation of schedule of heavy vehicles’ movement in city

He said in the letter that the people look up to the judiciary for decisive action in ensuring public safety. “I trust that the high court will take immediate congnizance of this pressing issue and provide necessary directives to address this crisis effectively,” he concluded.

Besides, the governor also ordered the provincial police chief to deal with the issue of heavy traffic in the city as a top most priority and submit a report to him in this regard.

The principal secretary to the governor, in a letter to the IGP, informed him of the governor’s concern on the issue.

“Given the severity of the situation, it is expected that the law enforcement agencies, including the Sindh police, will ensure strict implementation of the high court and apex court’s order, removing any administrative lapses contributing to the fatalities,” the letter said.

Earlier, Mr Tessori had suggested that anyone operating heavy traffic in Karachi should hold a Karachi-issued driving licence, saying that drivers from other provinces operated heavy vehicles in the metropolis but they are unfamiliar with the city’s traffic rules.

He had asked the provincial government to come up with a plan of action against the truck and tanker mafia within a week and warned that if the Sindh government did not take action, he would start playing a proactive role.

His sharp reaction to the recent incidents followed a directive from the Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla for the seizure of all illegal and unregistered dumper trucks in the city.

Similarly, the opposition parties, including the Jamaat-i-Islami and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, have also called for restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles in the metropolis in the daytime to prevent further loss of precious lives.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2025