KARACHI, April 8: Karachi, the largest city called ‘revenue engine’ of Pakistan, has been facing traffic mess since decades but despite hue and cry being raised by Karachiites and a constant coverage by media to highlight the issue, the situation continues to turn from bad to worse with every passing day. The reason seems to be the wrong approach towards the issue and lack of political will in those at the helm of the affairs to resolve it.

Before the introduction of privatisation and deregularisation policies, the city had a perfect public transport system comprising the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and the Karachi Transport Corporation (KTC) both catering to the transport needs of the metropolis.

The KTC had dozens of bus depots and workshops to operate and maintain a fleet of thousands of buses, besides training facilities for its drivers, mechanics and other personnel. The KCR had also been operating a sufficient number of trains for the convenience of millions of travelers.

Both the valuable and essential services have since been wound up and this has now created a crisis-like situation in the transport sector. Critics say that the decision to wind up these services had been taken on the dictates of certain international lending agencies which wanted to promote privatisation. The outcome happened to be the prevailing chaos in public transport sector, which is now in control of private transport operators. People have fully realised now that the enormous problems they were faced with and the unending sufferings they were enduring are the result of the privatisation policy.

Karachiites believe that the aim of the global privatisation policy is to close down all state-run and people-friendly services, including essential social services, in the third world countries.

There is a dire need of change of vision of our policymakers in this regard. The public transport sector is regarded as an essential public welfare service which cannot be considered a commercial sector to earn high profits. If the state is no more willing to finance the public transport system, it must play its role in regulating the sector with the aim of protecting the rights of commuters.

In Karachi, like other cities of the country, the private sector enjoys freehand to operate public transport means to make profits and the result of this approach is quite evident – overcrowded, jam-packed, old, shabby, smoke-emitting vehicles in much less than the required number — while the KCR having been rendered almost inoperative.

In Karachi, according to government sources, some 45 passengers vie for a single seat in a bus but the private transport operators would not add more vehicles to their fleets as per the demand.

Resultantly, passengers are seen traveling on roofs of crowded buses and minibuses. This is a pathetic picture of an urban city that once had a modern tram service.

The provincial and city government bosses are still trying to persuade the private sector to introduce fleets of environment-friendly CNG vehicles but they have failed to understand why the shrewd businessmen should make heavy investments in this venture when they already have a windfall even with their junk fleets of buses and minibuses.

The very decision to hand over this vital and sensitive public welfare sector to profit-hungry businessmen has proved wrong and our policymakers would have to reconsider it.

If the government is really interested in improving public transport sector in Karachi, it must change its vision vis-à-vis interests and rights of citizens.

Without a strong political will, no visible and meaningful change could be brought about.—PPI