PESHAWAR, May 14: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information and transport minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Monday said construction of the new roadside plazas would be banned in Peshawar until the transport department issued no objection certificates.

This, according to him, will help ease traffic on the city roads, especially by ensuring proper parking of vehicles.

Mr Iftikhar told Dawn on Monday that most plazas in the city had been built by the roadside without proper parking areas in violation of rules.

He said in absence of proper parking lots, visitors to these plazas parked vehicles by service roads and thus, obstructing traffic.

The minister said the transport department would also crack down hard on plazas without parking places in the city and cantonment areas.

“We will grant permission for construction of new plazas only after approval of their feasibility reports by the relevant departments and issuance of NOC by the transport department,” he said.

Mr Iftikhar said crackdown on plazas without parking lots was meant to ease traffic chaos on the roads not to panic people.

He urged plaza owners to ensure that visitors park vehicles in basement instead of by roads.

“Our transport system has become so complicated that it can’t be revamped within a few days. We need to have a comprehensive transport policy for the purpose,” he said.

Earlier, the minister chaired a meeting of the transport department over the transporters and visitors’ problems and security arrangements at the Peshawar Bus Terminal.

The meeting approved the early filling of the sanctioned posts of security guard at the terminal.

Mr Iftikhar said making the terminal a model facility and ensuring all possible facilities there to transporters and passengers was a test case for the department that should take necessary steps for it without delay.

He said unfortunately, the transport sector in the province was ignored in the past with its powers being transferred to different departments and institutions throwing the entire transport system into disarray.

The minister said in light of the importance of transport sector, the government, soon after its formation, created a separate transport department in the province before helping it regain powers. He said empowerment of the department was underway.

He said had timely steps been taken 60 years ago, the city would not have the current chaotic transport system.

Mr Iftikhar directed the relevant authorities to carry out a detailed study for a viable transport policy and said services of transport experts should be hired if a need arose.

He said proper transport planning was needed otherwise traffic chaos would make roads impassable.

Transport secretary Sikandar Qayyum, information secretary Azmat Hanif Orakzai and senior transport officials attended the meeting.