The litigants, lawyers and court staff who come to the district courts in vehicles face an acute problem because of lack of a proper parking space. Finding no alternative, they usually park their along the Jehlum Road, just opposite the courts building, hence causing a severe traffic mess almost daily. But the authorities appear quite indifferent to the problems being faced by motorists and court visitors alike. The road users and motorists, however, are the ones who suffer the most because the irregular parking along the Jehlum Road chokes the normal flow of traffic there. A visitor to the district court Irfan Ali told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that he had to park his car along the road because there was no other proper car space available.
He said he knew the risks involved in parking his car at the roadside where it might be stolen or crashed by some other vehicle. “But I have no choice so I have to take the risk,” he added. He demanded the authorities concerned redress the issue at the earliest. A traffic warden present at the Kachehri Chowk (Courts Square), seeking anonymity, told this scribe that the traffic congestion on the road was because of the apathy of the authorities concerned who had failed to provide the public with a spacious car parking area. He admitted it was his responsibility to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
But, he said, fining the citizens or taxi drivers for wrong parking was not a permanent solution to that problem because there was no other area nearby where they could park their vehicles. He said the congestion on the Jehlum Road could only be averted by building a proper parking space for the court visitors. Sarfraz, a motorist, told Pakistan Today that the acute traffic congestion on the road created problems for them and the traffic usually remained stuck there for up to 20 minutes daily. He said the traffic wardens appointed at the square were also unable to control the situation.
