KARACHI, April 7: The fatalities in road accidents in the country was the highest in Sindh province that stood at 37 per cent of the total. This was disclosed in an inter-sectorial dialogue on "Road Safety" organized at the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee's office in Governor's House on Wednesday.

The forum was attended among others by Dr Khalif Bile Mohamud, country representative of the WHO, Naib Nazim Tariq Hasan, CPLC chief Sharfuddin Memon, Additional Health Secretary Dr Iqbal Daudpota, DIG Traffic Yameen Khan, and Faisal Edhi.

The forum was told that out of the total fatalities in road accidents in Sindh, 40 per cent victims were pedestrians. The speakers maintained that the fatality rate on roads was alarming and drastic changes in the traffic system had become imperative.

They pointed out that the poor conditions of roads and junctions had made enforcement of traffic laws difficult. It was observed that Karachi traffic police was lacking the modern tools, which had been provided to highway police.

The forum felt that the lack of fear of punishment was another major factor in the poor enforcement of traffic laws. In 2003, the traffic police had brought 1,044 prosecutions for violations, but, obtained only one conviction.

Moreover, the rapid growth in number of vehicles on roads had also made it difficult for traffic police to maintain smooth flow of traffic. It was disclosed that 65,000 vehicles were registered in the city last year, which meant that one vehicle was registered after every seven minutes in the city.

Improvements made in roads of the metropolis and future plans to increase pedestrian bridges at major intersections were also brought to the notice of the forum. However, it was pointed out that the roads were being widened at the cost of pedestrians' space. The situation was further aggravated after granting permission to cabins and hoarding to occupy space on pavements.

Sharfuddin Memon informed the forum that the CPLC would soon launch ambulance service with six ambulances fully equipped with medical accessories and trained paramedics.

Faisal Edhi told the forum that the Edhi Foundation was also planning to launch emergency medical service in near future with ambulances equipped for pre-hospital care and managed by trained paramedical staff.