By Amar Guriro
KARACHI: After the ban on heavy vehicles entering intercity roads, hundreds of 40-feet trailers carrying 70 to 80 tonnes of load each lie in wait at the city’s entrance points, especially over bridges. In order to avoid a ‘bridge incident’, DIG Traffic issued Wednesday directives to departments concerned to not allow these trailers to wait on bridges.
“On the ICI Bridge alone, over 100 of these trailers wait from evening till midnight before entering the city. That means a 700-tonne constant load on the bridge, apart from other vehicles. Thus we fear another tragedy like the Northern Bypass collapse,” Muhammad Khalid Khan, Karachi Goods Carriers Association (KGCA) president, told Daily Times.
“Yes we are aware of this and that’s why I have directed the department to not allow these trailers to wait on these bridges,” Karachi DIG Traffic Wajid Ali Durrani told Daily Times.
The transporters are of the view that ‘mismanagement’ inside the traffic police is the real cause of the traffic jams in the city. “Since the DIG banned lower police staff from fining vehicles, these lower staff create problems in the flow of traffic,” Ashiq Hussain Niazi, secretary general of the KGCA, told Daily Times. The police are not getting their share from the roads so they create problems, he added.
“The massive traffic jams in the city are not because of heavy traffic but because of the traffic department’s mismanagement,” Muhammad Khalid Khan said. “Right now heavy traffic is banned and there are still traffic jams.”
Durrani said that he didn’t tell the courts to ban heavy vehicles form entering the city, the courts made the decision on their own. Muhammad Khalid Khan said that there is a lack of coordination between the traffic department, the city district government and the highway department. “They are all misguiding the honorable courts. DIG traffic claimed that traffic problems on intercity roads would be resolved if there was a ban but it has not been solved. The court should take suo motu notice and ask the DIG for an explanation,” he told Daily Times.
Meanwhile, heavy-vehicle owners have increased the fare rate. “Two weeks ago 40-foot trailers were charging Rs 40,000 to Lahore from Karachi for 65 to 75 tonnes, but, now it has risen to between Rs 65,000 and Rs 75,000,” Ashiq Hussain Niazi told Daily Times.
Not only to Lahore, but, transporters have increased the fare rates to Peshawar, Quetta, Afghanistan and Taftan and other parts of the country and neighboring countries. “There is no other way but to increase the fare rates. Before the ban, a trailer would take one day to load, but, after the ban it takes three,” Muhammad Khalid Khan explained.