KARACHI, Feb 20: Traffic accidents have become a matter of routine on the main Hub River Road as it is in dilapidated condition and there are no street- lights.

A visit to the busy and important Hub River Road which links Karachi with Balochistan showed that about a 4-5-kilometre long portion of the road has not only developed deep potholes and craters, but it has also become bumpy on various places.

In addition to the dilapidated condition, about a five-km long portion of the road remains dark because the street-lights have been out of order for more than a year.

The worst-affected portion of Hub River Road is from Shershah Chowrangi to Moach Goth area. It is this portion of the road which is usually blocked by residents of Baldia Town whenever there is water shortage in the township.

Inquiries showed that fused bulbs of street-lights were not being replaced by the city government’s department concerned, though the Baldia Town administration, during the past one year, had lodged a number of written complaints with the city government’s district coordination officer. The road is under the jurisdiction of the Karachi City District Government.

It was further learnt from officials of the Baldia Town administration that another reason for darkness on the road was that electricity wire was also missing between various electric poles on a certain portion of the road.

Admitting that major reasons of the increasing number of accidents on the road were the dilapidated condition and out of order street-lights, the Baldia town administration’s municipal officer, Ghulam Husain Memon, said: “We have repeatedly brought the lingering issue to the notice of the city government’s recently-retired DCO as the road is under the jurisdiction of the city government, not the Baldia Town.”