KARACHI, Jan 25: The traffic police have failed to check route permit violations on different roads in the metropolis. Almost 5,000 minibuses and 2,000 buses are being operated on various routes and most of them pass through Empress Market, Saddar.

According to the excise department, there are more than 1.1 million registered vehicles in the metropolis. The number of commercial vehicles, including buses and minibuses, is only 3.4 per cent of the total number of registered vehicles. However, sources say a large number of buses and minibuses plying the city roads are not registered with the excise department in Karachi. A large number of buses are registered outside Karachi and they do not pay taxes for using city roads. Instead they cause pollution, erode roads and violate traffic laws.

Officials say such buses and minibuses are being plied despite the fact that these have not been sanctioned any routes. Many operators of buses and minibuses pay illegal gratification to the traffic police as they violate route permits. The traffic police, in turn, oblige them.

The traffic police has launched different campaigns to remove tinted glasses, pressure horns and tape-recorders, enforce the ombudsman's directives for separate women's compartment, but they do not bother to launch a campaign against those plying without valid route permits. Sources say there are 64 traffic wings called traffic sections in the metropolis to regulate traffic and check violations, and all of them adopt a lax attitude towards the violation of route permit laws.

They say each bus and minibus pays a specific amount to a traffic section while passing through its jurisdiction on a particular road. "At the end of the day a handsome amount is raised which is distributed among officials deputed at traffic sections on a weekly basis. Some senior traffic officials and certain "journalists" belonging to evening newspapers also get specific amounts", a traffic police official said.

The amount is called "pool money" and officials who collect apart from violations of route permits also deposit their money in the pool. In case of an accident the traffic police 'mediate' between the parties warning them against the problems they would face if a case was registered. They try to solve the case on the spot and extract money from the parties involved.

Traffic officials say if they hand over those involved in accidents the district police register cases and release them during the course of investigation. Sometimes the district police do not register FIRs and release those involved from a police station after taking bribe.

According to figures, the involvement of public transport in fatal accidents is 72 per cent. In most of the cases the driver and the conductor of the vehicle escape from the spot leaving their vehicle behind. It has been complained in some of the cases that traffic police nabbed drivers responsible but they were shown escaped on record.

Operators of buses and minibuses are not held accountable for hiring a person as a driver without seeking personal information. Bus operators approach the police station to get their buses back and express ignorance about the errant driver's whereabouts and address. The traffic and district police exploit the situation to their own advantage.