KARACHI, Sept 26: Regular violation of traffic rules by the transporters in Lea Market area is causing immense hardships and inconvenience to other commuters as well as residents of Lyari Town.

According to the residents, a complete chaos is witnessed during the peak hours of morning and evening when the upcountry transporters park their vehicles in the middle of roads, blocking the traffic in complete violation of rules. Traffic police had failed to control the situation, which had become a permanent feature, they said.

Area people criticized the municipal officials for not taking any action against transporters, who have encroached upon government land near Gadap bus stop, government hospitals, schools and other buildings.

They complained that despite their hue and cry, no improvement in the traffic flow was witnessed. t was alleged that the police were not taking any action because they used to act in collusion with the transport mafia.

Area people said that the mafia had become so powerful that it had controlled all the routes in the surroundings of the market without fearing any authority. Admitting that they have failed to shift the transport business from residential areas, the municipal authorities also have accused the police of non-cooperative attitude in this regard.

Representatives of local NGOs also complained that most of the transporters from Saddar Town areas had shifted their business to Lyari Town after successful anti-encroachment operation launched against by the Saddar Town officials in Chand Bibi Road and Nanakwara areas.

Owing to this situation, they maintained that the whole area had been virtually converted into a huge bus terminus. They argued that Lea Market area had turned into one of the biggest termini in the city where a number of local inter-city and inter-province buses, minibuses either terminate or start their journey.

The number of buses was rapidly increasing and parking space for other vehicles had ceased to exist, they said. The representatives of some non-governmental organizations said that all open spaces previously used for parking purposes had diminished with the construction of buildings in already congested area, leaving bus-operators with no choice but to park their vehicles in the middle of the road.

Area people have been pressing the authorities concerned for taking effective steps to ban goods transport business in residential areas of Lyari Town, as Saddar Town administration had recently done on Chand Bibi Road and Nanakwara.

They urged the authorities that a complete ban should be enforced on operation of upcountry transports in residential areas of Lyari Town. Besides, traffic police should be directed to take serious action against those transporters who frequently violate traffic rules in Lea Market by parking their vehicles in the middle of roads.