In less than six months of the Shikarpur-bound passenger bus mishap on the National Highway Link Road in which over 60 people lost their lives, illegal inter-city bus service has again resumed in the metropolis, Pakistan Today learnt through reliable sources.
At least 67 people were killed when a fire broke out in an ill-fated Shikarpur-bound passenger bus after collision with an oil tanker at National Highway Link Road in January 2015.
As per details, an illegal inter-city bus service, which was stopped after the National Highway accident, has resumed again. By forgetting the deadly accident, the residents started travelling to interior Sindh by using illegal bus-service which is charging comparatively less than the rout permit holders.
After the deadly mishap, traffic police had launched a crackdown against the bus owners who were running the service without a rout permit. It was also observed in the crackdown that most of the buses used in this illegal business did not have fitness certificate and this was the only reason that the bus owners never approach for rout permit.
With the passage of time, the illegal transport service established their stops again in Landhi and Korangi and started inter-city bus service.
During hearing of Shikarpur-bound bus carnage, the Sindh High Court (SHC) was informed that the ill-fated bus had neither a rout permit nor a valid fitness certificate. Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and Karachi Traffic Police had submitted a report claiming that the bus accident on National Highway Link Road took place due to negligence of the tanker’s driver and dilapidated condition of the road.
The RTA’s Law Officer (LO), Fouzia Sikandar, told the court that criminal negligence of the tanker’s driver led to the accident, adding that uneven and dilapidated condition of the road was also one of the causes of the deadly accident.
The official of the traffic police told judges that the accident took place due to criminal negligence of the tanker’s driver. It was stated that the road was in dilapidated and poor condition and was not maintained since its construction.
Talking to this scribe, SBOA Chairman Mir Afzal said they appealed the transport department and Karachi traffic police repeatedly for timely action. The ill-fate Shikarpur-bound bus also started from Korangi Chakra Goth, which did not posses rout permit, and collided with oil tanker on National Highway,” Afzal recalled.
He demanded of the Sindh chief minister to take action against illegal bus stops, initiate action against bus owners running vehicle without a rout permit and issue directives to the transport department and Karachi traffic police to check weather or not the bus owners were running their vehicles on allocated routes.
He warned that if the government failed to meet their demands, they would stage a sit-in outside the CM house.