SHC seeks progress report on heavy traffic regulation in city

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed the city commissioner, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and others to file a progress report on the implementation of the court’s orders for regulating heavy traffic in the metropolis.

Hearing the petitions about the plying of heavy vehicles on roads and in residential areas during day-time, an SHC division bench headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi also directed the provincial law officer to file a statement about essential commodities so that the court’s order may be clarified for the purpose of implementation. The bench directed the Board of Revenue land utilisation member to file comments on the allotment of 30 acres for the construction of a bus terminal near the Lyari Expressway.

The counsel for the Karachi Development Authority sought a short adjournment to call the relevant officer from the engineering department and to submit their comments in the light of the court’s various orders.

The bench directed the relevant parties, including the city commissioner, to file a brief statement for the purpose of implementing the orders already passed by the Supreme Court and the SHC in the instant matter so that an appropriate order may be passed on the next date of hearing.

The chief secretary had earlier filed a progress report with regard to the implementation of the court’s orders, saying that the city commissioner had conducted a meeting with all the stakeholders to regulate and control the number of passenger buses and coaches, the issuance of intercity permits, the parking of vehicles, the removal of encroachments on roads and the demolition of illegal bus terminals in Sohrab Goth.

The traffic police chief said that 15 checkpoints had been set up with a deployment of 150 officials in all districts’ entry points to ensure that no heavy traffic is allowed to enter the city during the prohibited timings.

He said the traffic police had taken action against vehicle owners for violating the traffic laws, including plying vehicles with tinted glasses, and using pressure horns, fancy registration number plates, hooters and revolving lights.

He added that 67,120 challans were issued, 22,305 vehicles were seized, 20,434 vehicles were impounded and 36 FIRs were lodged on different traffic violations between December 9 and February 19.

He also said that 11,523 motorbikes and 967 cars were impounded on charges of not affixing a registration number plate on both ends of the vehicle, and these vehicles were released after the registration plates were affixed in accordance with the rules.

The court had on March 31, 2017, ordered the CS, the KMC, the cantonment boards and other land-owning agencies to remove all type of encroachments from all the roads and footpaths of the city immediately to ensure smooth flow of traffic and pedestrians.

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

The court had directed the transport authorities to finalise the policy on the most urgent basis to regulate and control the number of passenger buses and coaches on a particular route within a specified time period and during peak or off-peak hours, and the criteria for the issuance of route permits.

The court had directed the traffic authorities to ensure that strict action be taken against all vehicles having illegal and banned pressure horns by immediately removing and confiscating the same.

The court had directed the Government of Sindh to ensure that the process of issuing driving licences is computerised all over the province in a manner that no driving licence is issued without proper and written and practical test in accordance with the law and traffic violations, and offences committed by a driver are entered in their record for future reference. Petitioners Faisal Bengali and others had said they were permanent residents of Karachi and distressed in view of the prevailing situation of traffic in the city, which was deteriorating day by day.

The petitioners’ counsel had said that the Supreme Court in August 2007 had directed the traffic police chief to immediately stop the entry of heavy vehicles in the city during the daytime and regulate such flow of traffic only between 11pm and 6am.

He had said that the directions of the court had not been complied with in letter and spirit, resulting in an unbearable and alarming increase in road accidents, congestion in traffic and nuisance on the roads of the city.