Without Mass Transit System (MTS), no immediate solution to the transport woes is possible in the city, said Karachi Traffic Police DIG in a report submitted in Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday.
Traffic Police DIG Muhammad Arif Hanif submitted the report in response to the court’s directives issued on a petition filed by an NGO, Raah-e-Raast Trust, seeking action against transporters for overloading buses to mint money.
The DIG stated in the report that traffic police is facing shortage of manpower and a total of 2,188 traffic personnel are regulating the traffic on the roads spread over 10,000 kilometers in the city where approximately 100,000 vehicles ply daily.
He said that 3.3 million vehicles were registered in Karachi and the number of vehicles is increasing daily by 900.
He said, according to survey, there was a total of 140 mini buses on approved routes in the city till early 2000, out which only 60 to 65 routes are operational now. Similarly, large buses had 60 routes till the end of year 2000 but now it has decreased to 20.
Some transporters have sold their vehicles while others have converted them into contract carriages, trucks and goods vehicles. Existing transport cannot cater to the needs of growing number of commuters which is evident from the fact that three-seater rickshaws were converted into six and nine-seaters.
He regretted that unfortunately no new investment was being made by transporters in the transport sector that was why 20 to 30-year-old vehicles were running on the roads, adding that all public sector plans for mass transit system were still in pipeline and under these circumstances no immediate solution to traffic woes is possible.
The DIG said that public transport plying on the city roads were about 40 to 60 years old model and this was because no life of vehicle had been specified by the provincial government. Karachi traffic police is making strenuous efforts to overcome the menace of overloading of vehicles and other transport woes, he added.
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE TRANSPORT SYSTEM:
He suggested key steps to improve transport system; the problem of commuter can never be resolved without mass transit system in the city. Similarly Karachi Circular Railway is required to be revived which will be helpful to improve transport system. The project of Bus Rapid Transit System along with Green line and Red line for Karachi is reportedly in the pipeline which is required to be speeded up.
The operation of CNG green buses which was suspended due to unknown circumstances must be restarted to overcome the overloading of public transport.
He said that ban on the new public service routes may be lifted which was in place since 1985, adding that investment in transport sector need to be encouraged by providing them subsidy, adding that life of the vehicles should be specified and proper bus stops be constructed and notified by the government.
A division bench headed by Justice Maqbool Baqar after going through the report directed petitioner to submit his objections to the report of Traffic DIG and adjourned the hearing of case till date to be fixed later.
The trust’s Chairman Agha Syed Attaullah Shah stated in the petition that capacity of public vehicles to carry commuters is clearly tabulated in Manual of Motor Vehicle Laws and its enforcement is inevitable for ensuring safety and security of passengers.
He said that transporters are not allowed under law to overload their vehicles and allow passengers to stand on footboards, along aisles and cling to windows and sit on rooftops of the buses. Shah said that act of transporters to overload their vehicles is also tantamount to committing murder as they put lives of commuters at risk.
He requested the court to declare the overloading of public transport buses illegal and directed transport authorities to stop all such illegal activities.
