City council wants petrol pumps to tell off motorbike riders without helmets

The KMC city council passed a unanimous resolution on Monday, demanding from the Sindh government to bind petrol pumps and companies distributing fuel not to provide petrol to motorcycle riders who are not wearing helmet.

The resolution was presented by treasury bench member Saad Bin Jaffer, and signed by Mohammad Hanif Surti and Majeedunisa. Mayor Wasim Akhtar presided over the session. The council members demanded that legislation be made to save the motorcycle riders from fatal accidents by compelling them to wear helmets.

They also demanded that petrol pumps be sealed if they provided fuelled up motorcycles whose riders were without helmets. The resolution further stated that with the increasing population of Karachi, motorcycle riders were also increasing rapidly and fatal accidents had become a routine.

The mayor said it was a good omen that all the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members had joined the treasury benches, and now they would jointly work for the development of Karachi.

The council members felt that the city did not have a concrete transport system, and buses and mini-buses plying in the city were old and obsolete and without fitness certificates.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) council member Javed Mekati presented a resolution which was also passed unanimously. He said poor motorcycle riders should not be sent to jail, which, he said, was totally unjustified and intolerable.

He said these motorbike riders were poor citizens and when they were sent to jail they had to hire an advocate for bail. He demanded that “this injustice with the poor citizens of Karachi” should be stopped.

The resolution said traffic police did not check dumpers, trucks and loaders running in the city and violating traffic rules and regulations openly. It said all challans were for scooter riders but big vehicle owners were never checked.

The mayor said Rs10 billion had been received from the federal government for development works in Karachi, and this was due to efforts of all members of the council. The projects that had been initiated included the construction of a flyover each at Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi, Five-Star Chowrangi and KDA Chowrangi, and the procurement of equipment worth Rs2 billion for the fire brigade, he added.

He said he was thankful to Prime Minister Imran Khan for helping with the release of this amount for Karachi and for showing interest in awarding more uplift projects for the city. These flyovers and bridges are expected to be completed in March 2019.

The meeting was also attended by Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Saif ur Rehman. The mayor said that as mayor “I cannot initiate any project worth more than Rs20 million though they expect me to announce mega projects”. During the meeting, a total of 12 resolutions were approved by the council – nine unanimously and three by majority votes.

Pakistan Quarters issue

In a resolution approved unanimously, the government was asked to give ownership rights to the residents of Pakistan Quarters. It said the residents should not be made homeless, and condemned the way they were treated.

Resolution against arrests

In another resolution, it was demanded that the citizens of Karachi should not be arrested by police for violations of traffic rules; however, they may be fined.

Call for honoraria

Another resolution demanded that honoraria be given to the members of the city council who were elected to reserved seats, including labourers, youth and women councillors.

Drain improvement

The council also approved a resolution for improvement of Budhan Goth Nala, Sher Mohammad Village Nala and Shipowners College North Nazimabad, as well as for making the flour and ghee mills owners abide by the health rules.

Other resolutions included the approval of a laboratory test fee and other charges at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, expenditure on the procurement of machinery for the removal of encroachments, and the announcement of a proposed fee for Landhi Sports Complex.

Speaking at the meeting, parliamentary leader Aslam Shah Afridi thanked the mayor, and said the amount announced for Karachi was being spent there.

Opposition leader Karamullah Waqasi, Arif Khan Advocate, Hanif Surti, Amanullah Afridi, Junaid Mukati, Sahib Khan Jaskani, Akbar Shah Hashmi, Tajuddin, and others also expressed their views during the proceedings.