LAST month the DHA, Karachi, brought about a drastic change to the traffic system of its Phase V. The Authority unilaterally converted Khayaban-i- Shamsheer and Khayaban-i- Mujahid into one-way roads without any intimation to this effect nor did they invite any comments/suggestions from the residents of the area. This arbitrary and unlawful conversion has ruined the peace and the privacy of the residents of the area and has brought upon them tremendous hardship and discomfort.

After this arbitrary conversion of Khayaban-i- Shamsheer and Khayaban-i- Mujahid into single- carriage roads, there has been a tremendous pressure of traffic, both private and public, on Khayaban-i- Mujahid which it cannot sustain as it was never meant to be a main thoroughfare according to the DHA master plan.

Khayaban-i-Shamsheer, on the other hand, is a much wider road having six lanes, three on either side, which were until now adequate enough to take care of the two-way traffic and there was no need to convert it into a one-way road. After such conversion the entire traffic coming from Seaview towards Gizri and Sunset Blvd, which was partly shared by Khayabam-i- Shamsheer to ensure smooth a flow of traffic has now been forcibly thrust on Khayaban-i-Mujahid (a much narrower road) which is unable to handle this massive traffic.

Now this results in frequent traffic holdups on this road. Besides, Khayaban-i-Mujahid between 10th and 14th streets having Stadium Commercial is practically a pedestrian street for shoppers and in no way meant for public transport.

It is worth mentioning here that the DHA is now reducing Khayaban-i- Shamsheer into a two-lane road (instead of the existing six lanes) by providing service roads on both sides. Why this main road is now being reduced to a narrow road? The DHA must review its decision and restore the original position of two-way carriage roads to ensure smooth flow of traffic without causing any hardships to residents of the area.

HAMID H. SIDDIQUI Karachi