KARACHI, May 8: The goods transporters have called off their strike on Thursday, following City Nazim Naimatullah Khan’s decision to relax restriction on movement of heavy vehicles in the city.
The two days strike by goods transporters completely paralyzed the movement of import and export consignments to the two ports of the city — Karachi Port and Qasim Port — and resulted in huge revenue loss to the national exchequer.
The City Nazim Naimatuallh Khan had to call an emergency meeting late Wednesday evening with the representatives of transporters, which was attended by the DIG Tariff Yamin Malik and SPs of five districts of the city.
It was resolved that the city administration would relax the road timing fixed for heavy vehicles by one hour in the morning and two in the evening. As a result of this decision heavy vehicles could not ply on city roads from 7am to 9am and from 6pm to 8.30pm.
However, the City Nazim has set up a three-member committee headed by DIG Traffic to monitor the traffic movement and its impact during next 15 days. After that, road timing for heavy trucks and trailers would be reviewed.
The leader of the three transporters associations, Haji Abdul Shakoor Sailani told Dawn as a result of the restriction the police started harassing drivers and detained a number of them for failure in paying bribe.
Haji Abdul Shakoor said that between 7000 to 8000 heavy vehicles which ply in the city for carrying goods to ports and godowns belong to local people and they could not take off their vehicles from the city roads.
Even for coming out of their parking points these vehicles have to move on different roads at different times and what to talk about banning their movement when they are loaded with export or import consignments.
He said that the three associations alliance of transporters never accepted city administration’s road timings as it was totally against very purpose of their economic activity which is directly linked with country’s external trade.
There are 21 representative body of goods carriers in the city and they never created any law and order situation, he added. On the contrary, he said, their activity is providing jobs to skilled and unskilled workers like drivers cleaners and labourers.
He urged upon the city administration to review their road timing decision fixed for heavy vehicles because it was directly linked with the movement of city’s own requirements of consumers’ goods and of the country’s external trade of import and export.
He further said that when 60 feet long trailers of NLC and rati-bajri trucks could ply on the city roads without a fixed time then why goods carriers who also play even more important role in the economic activity of the country be asked to follow a schedule for their movement.
Haji Abdul Shakoor Sailani complained that police detain their drivers under Section 144 and 188 and this created a lot of hardship for their family members as well as for truck owners who have to run from pillar to post for getting them released.