SHC wants public notice published for removal of illegal horns, fancy number plates from vehicles

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the traffic DIG to publish a public notice in newspapers for removal of all pressure horns, fancy and unauthorised number plates, locally tinted glasses, unauthorised hooters and revolving bar lights from vehicles.

Hearing a petition against heavy vehicles plying on roads of residential areas of the city during day hours, a division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar asked the traffic DIG what action had been taken against illegal use of pressure horns, fancy number plates, and revolving and bar lights in the vehicles.

DIG Traffic conceded that illegal use of pressure horn, fancy number plates and revolving bar lights on vehicles had not been fully controlled. He submitted that the traffic police had been taking against such illegal acts and undertook to take all possible steps to stop the use of illegal accessories in vehicles.

The high court directed the DIG to publish a public notice in leading newspapers within three days telling the people to remove pressure horns, fancy number plates, locally tinted glasses and sirens from their vehicles. The bench sought a compliance report from the officer in this regard.

Regarding the court direction for the establishment of check posts at ports and entry points of the city to regulate the movement of heavy vehicles, the traffic DIG submitted that check posts had been established at all the entry and exit points to ensure restriction of heavy vehicles in the city between 6am and 11pm. He submitted that orders of the courts had been complied with in letter and spirit. A counsel for the petitioners, however, submitted that although the congestion in traffic and number of accidents in the city had reduced, heavy vehicles were still plying in the city in violation of the time schedule.

The DIG undertook to implement the court orders and take immediate measures to ensure strict compliance with the court orders. The petitioners’ counsel, and representatives of the All Pakistan Bus Owners and Van Owners Welfare Association requested the high court that the National Highway and Motorway Authority and Traffic Engineering Bureau be impleaded as respondents in the case as their presence was necessary for the implementation of the court orders.

The SHC directed the petitioners to file an amended title to make those authorities as respondents. The bench took exception to non-filing of comments by the chief secretary and directed him to submit a compliance report with regard to court directions for traffic regulations, removal of encroachments on roads and restriction of heavy vehicles movement in day timings.

The SHC had on March 31, 2017, ordered the chief secretary, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, cantonment boards and other landowning agencies to remove all type of encroachments from the roads, sidewalks and footpaths of Karachi forthwith to ensure smooth flow of traffic and pedestrians.

The high court had directed the government and municipal authorities to immediately install barriers in all the five districts at all entry places to restrict unauthorised entry of heavy vehicles in the city, particularly in residential areas.

The SHC had also directed the traffic authorities to ensure that strict action be taken against all the vehicles having illegal and banned pressure horns. The bench directed the Sindh government to ensure that the process of issuing driving licence was computerised all over the province in a manner that no driving licencewas is issued without proper written and practical tests as per the law, and traffic violations and offences committed by a driver were entered in his record for future reference.

Petitioners Faisal Bengali and others had submitted in the petition that they were permanent residents of Karachi and distressed due to the prevailing situation of traffic in the city that had been deteriorating day by day. The petitioners’ counsel had submitted that the Supreme Court in August 2007 directed the traffic DIG to immediately stop entry of heavy vehicles in the city during day hours and regulate such flow of traffic only after 11pm.