IT’S true that with each passing day you witness new vehicles plying on the roads and the process will continue so long as the loans are made freely available to the purchasers. The addition of new vehicles continue to burden the narrow roads. But it is also a fact that our traffic department is seemingly doing little to devise mechanism to ensure free flow of traffic.
 We are witness to it that whenever and wherever the road widening has taken place, there has been subsequent encroachments by the shopkeepers and by parking the vehicles thereby restricting the free movement of the vehicles.
 The tragedy of the SMC is that it allows the construction of the big hotels, which do not have sufficient parking facilities and their vehicles are parked on the roadsides.
 Moreover, the tourist cabs also pose a big problem as they are parked on the roadside of every hotel, cafeteria and tea stalls.
 The sense of traffic management cannot be developed of its own among the transporters unless the stringent measures are taken by the traffic department.
 The violators need to be penalized, booked under law. The traffic streamlining is not required from Batmalloo to Dalgate alone, but the traffic plying in downtown roads is also required to be looked into.
 There is no traffic control in old City, the Shaher-e-Khaas and wherever you see any traffic personnel, he shirks his responsibilities and winks at the traffic violations.
 The frequent stops by passenger buses at odd places, mid roads and crossings create lot of inconvenience to the private vehicles and commuters. The traffic police should regulate it.
 Moreover, the shopkeepers are freely allowed to showcase their articles on the roadside which results in congestion on the roads and the SMC looks as mute spectator as if it is not their baby to look into.
 If we wait for the awareness among masses to come of its own, then there would have been no need of the concerned departments. Therefore the best solution, besides campaigning, is to impose heavy fines to violators and inculcate sense of responsibility among the concerned officials as well.
By
 Ashraf Chishti
(The ideas expressed are author’s own)

Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 IST