KARACHI, April 5: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on Tuesday said that it was decided in principle to hand over the vehicle testing and fitness to private sector, besides system of motor vehicle testing and inspection was being made more efficient and transparent. Addressing a joint meeting of government officials and media persons at the Governor’s House, he said that the year 2005 was observed as the road safety year in the province.

Referring to the 21-point strategy framed with regard to road safety year, the governor gave details about motor vehicle testing and fitness by private sector, traffic violation and monitoring system, identification of black spots (notorious traffic accident points), identification of location for construction of underpasses, improvement of traffic law enforcement mechanism, road safety education programme, vehicle speed control programme, publicity programme for use of helmet, driver’s training programme, video camera and vehicle facilities for traffic police, complaint number on rear side of buses/mini-buses, random checking of traffic flow during peak hours, bus shelters, pedestrian bridges, pedestrian crossings near major city schools, emergency response centres, merger of KPTs in UTS, CDGK, urban traffic control system, traffic control near assembly building and extension of expressway along with bank of Malir River’s flood protection bund.

He also stressed for joint efforts by government, media and public to create a better society as well as to solve the problems faced by people and unearth the departmental weaknesses.

Dr Ibad also called for efforts to end the menace of drug-addiction and vowed that Sindh would be made a drug-free province with public cooperation.

He said that pinpointing problems greatly helped in their solution. He said that he himself had got completed the

lingering projects in the fields of education and health after the newspapers uncovered them.

He asked the government officials to take notice of media reports regarding civic problems and get them solved. He asked them neither to resist in this regard nor submit lame accuses on others, but take serious efforts to solve the problems faced by people.

Senior Provincial Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed, Interior Minister Rauf Siddiqui, Adviser for Local Bodies Waseem Akhtar, Adviser for Information Salahuddin Haider, IGP Asad Jahangir, and higher officials of traffic police and anti-narcotic force were present. —PPI