On orders of Sindh Chief Minister, Qaim Ali Shah, Karachi Division Traffic Management Board has been formed to remedy traffic woes in the metropolis, with Commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui acting as the Chairman of the committee.
Other prominent members of Karachi Traffic Management Board include Additional Inspector General (AIG) Traffic Khadim Hussain Bhatti, Local Government Director Rubina Asif, Transport and Communication Department Director Haider Ali, Additional Commissioner (One) of Karachi Javaid Sibghatullah Mahar, Director for Charged Parking Jameel Ahmed and Representative of Com-Kar (PN) Captain Muhammad Rizwan.
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The first meeting of the board was held on Friday to commence the process of resolving traffic congestion and encroachment issues in Karachi.
The main aim of the meeting was to find the root causes of the impediments in the flow of Karachi traffic and find solutions to finally relieve the citizens of the decades-long predicament.
According to AIG Bhatti, as reported by Daily Express, the main reasons behind traffic jams is the dumping of garbage on the streets by citizens and broken, inundated roads of Karachi.
While all necessary measures have been taken to handle rain emergencies for now, a detailed report has been sent to relevant authorities too so that a joint strategy is devised to end the problem once and for all.
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Other reasons, behind severe traffic jams, were claimed to be the lack of parking lots in marriage venues and other similar places and the use of residential parking lots for other purposes than their intended use.
On one hand where authorities and citizens are requested to cooperate with the board and traffic police, the board is also planning to take steps to eliminate the usual harassment that citizens face by traffic officials.
For now, citizens can register complaints against traffic officials harassing them illegally via sending emails to traffic@sindhpolice.com.pk. Whatsapp and SMS complaint services will also be launched soon.
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AIG Bhatti claimed that the charged parking system was also one of the reasons behind traffic jams. The Karachi Traffic Management Board has cancelled 12 charged parking contracts for now and intends to make concerned departments cooperate with the traffic police, making NOC requirements from the traffic police mandatory in the future.
