KARACHI, Nov 20: Absolute disregard for traffic rules among the city drivers, rendering the minute contingent of traffic cops helpless, has emerged to be a cause of severe mental and physical agony for the commuters.

The scenario, which has become a regular feature in the city, particularly during the peak hours of traffic flow in the morning and evening, has deteriorated since the commencement of Ramzan.

The situation took an ugly turn on Tuesday afternoon, casting its toll particularly on the schoolchildren, besides the commuters who were left stranded on way back to their destinations.

The children from various educational institutions located in Saddar area were made to suffer under the sun in fasting conditions, because of the massive traffic jams at almost every artery in the area.

The situation was attributed to a fire incident in a shopping plaza in Saddar, resulting in the blockage of the main artery from Preedy Street to Regal Chowk, besides Zaibunissa Street and Abdullah Haroon Road.

While the situation could had been efficiently handled through a little prudence, the imbibed nature of indiscipline and rash of the motorists further played havoc with the situation bringing to a halt the mile-long trail of vehicles, besides making the drivers lose their cool, hurling a series of abuse on each other.

Delay by hours in arrival of the children back homes caused extreme concern among the parents who had no idea about where their offsprings might had stuck up.

The ill-timely decision of the administration to dug out varied thoroughfares, as busy as Shahrah-i-Liaquat, parts of M.A. Jinnah Road, University Road etc., under the pretext of civic work, coupled with the faults usually emerging in the signal light posts at times leaving them inoperative on different roads, can be termed as factors further deteriorating the already chaotic traffic condition.

There are no more than 2000 traffic cops to man the ever- bulging traffic load of all sorts in the city. Ironically, many of these policemen are assigned special duties at the VIP points.

Moreover, at the most effected site of the M.A. Jinnah Road, there has also emerged an unauthorized terminus for inter-city bus service, off and on clogging the side lanes towards and around the Katrak Road, where many of the educational institutions are located.

The Karachiites have urged the city administration to immediately intervene and help them get rid of the chaotic situation.—APP