KARACHI, Sept 19: The Sindh Minister for Transport, Mohammed Adil Siddiqi, taking strict notice of the growing traffic jams in Karachi in recent days, has directed concerned authorities to take effective measures to cope with the situation and to carry out comprehensive planning which may help check such a situation.

Talking to APP, the minister said the provincial government had prepared an effective strategy for providing appropriate facilities to people under the Karachi Urban Transport scheme. He said results of the same would start appearing soon.

He observed that the Karachi Circular Railway and Mass Transit scheme had become inevitable for the city's 15 million population. In this regard, he referred to an initial agreement concluded with CNMEG, a Chinese company, for execution of a $589 million project on which work would start after the finalisation of certain technical issues.

He said that upon implementation of the project, not only would traffic pressure subside, but people using private transport, would also have better and comfortable commuting facilities.

Mr Siddiqi said he had directed the concerned authorities to chalk out a 50-year plan for ensuring better traffic flow. He said that steps in this regard would have to be taken keeping in view the growing volume of traffic, citing the fact that at present 1,774 vehicles were being registered daily, and also the time that the Karachi Circular and Mass Transit schemes would take to complete.

To a question, the minister said that a committee was being formed to examine the proposal of converting all public transport vehicles to CNG, adding a decision in this regard would be taken in the light of recommendations.

The transport minister informed that at present 362 vehicles of six private companies were plying on various routes, which included 140 air-conditioned metro coasters, 96 non-airconditioned metro coasters, 32 large-sized CNG buses and 90 radio cab taxis.

With regard to controlling the traffic accident ratio, he said that four non-functional drivers' training schools at Karachi, Hyderabad, Khairpur and Larkana were being made functional, where drivers would be trained at government level.

Technical facilities and instructors for the purpose would be provided by the National Highway Police, while the Sindh government would provide buses and cars, he continued. Replying to a question, Mr Siddiqi stated that the government had decided to take some basic but important steps for solving solve the transport problems.

He also said that some five to eight special courts would be established in Karachi, and old public transport would be gradually phased out. A policy in this regard was under consideration of the federal government, he maintained.

He informed that speed measuring equipment would be installed on all roads, signboards would be erected at bus stops on prominent roads, and encroachments would be removed from roads so that traffic flow remained unhindered. - APP