KARACHI, March 29: One of the major groups of transporters has given a strike call for Saturday against what they alleged injustices being done to them by the city government and the traffic police.

The Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI), in a press release, on Friday claimed that any elected Nazim, civic NGO or action committee for civic problems had nothing to do with transporters. It warned that they would be responsible for the consequences, if any of them tried to interfere in transport affairs.

KTI chief Irshad Bukhari and other office-bearers said the Nazim of Gulberg Town should confine himself to his limits of authority as, they claimed, he did not have power to take legal action against transporters and drivers.

They maintained that action against transporters and drivers could be taken by the excise and taxation department, traffic police and Road Transport Authority.

They demanded withdrawal of murder case against the driver responsible for the Karimabad accident, in which two college girls and a motorcyclist died and nine others were injured.

The transporters said: “The case should have been registered under section 320 of the Qisas & Diyat Ordinance, and a murder case against the driver is unjustified.” They claimed that “the purpose of the strike call is not to shield the driver but to force the government to follow the law.”

Criticizing the action against errant drivers under section 279 of PPC by the traffic police, the transporters claimed that the number of accidents had not declined after the campa-ign launched by the traffic police.

“A Rs1,000 fine is mentioned under section 99 of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, but the clause has been made ineffective after the introduction of the ticket system in which a Rs200 fine is being imposed for speeding and overtaking,” they alleged.

The office-bearers of the Action Committee for Civic Problems of the Urban Resource Centre and the United Welfare Association, demanded of the Sindh governor and the city Nazim to take stern action against drivers and conductors involved in violation of traffic rules.

They termed the strike call given by transporters an attempt to protect the driver responsible for a fatal accident.

They urged the government not to get blackmailed at the hands of transporters. There should be an end to blackmailing tactics, they said.

They urged the government to review the designs of all flyovers and bridges and rectify the flaws in them.

Duty hours for drivers and conductors be fixed and stern action be taken against drivers and conductors having drug addiction.

They stressed the need for early revival of the Karachi Circular Railway.