Daily Times

Sir: Every day in Karachi, the atmosphere often resounds with sirens of ambulances and paramedics are seen rushing to the scenes of accidents. These mishaps are so frequent that it would be unfair to hold anyone responsible except the traffic control and transport department.

It is unfortunate that 50-year-old buses, which should have been discarded long ago, are being plied on city roads after getting them repaired again and again. Moreover, I fail to understand how their fitness certificates are cleared. These buses are always crowded with commuters. The lack of good transport facilities has led to the introduction of a new form of transportation — the Chingchi rickshaw, which contributes heavily to the traffic mess.

The flow of traffic is disrupted due to these rickshaws, which are usually driven by underage drivers who often violate traffic rulers and risk citizens’ lives. If there is a traffic jam anywhere in the city, it presents the scene of a battlefront, where everyone desperately tries to reach their destination. This was bound to happen due to a gradual increase in private vehicles, but no counter-measures have been taken by the concerned departments to control traffic. It seems as if there is no think tank to foresee these problems. In Punjab, Metro buses have been introduced using millions of rupees. In contrast, in Karachi, which contributes the most toward the national income, there is not even a proper public transport system.

I request the departments of traffic and transport to make genuine efforts for improving the transportation and traffic system in Karachi.

MUHAMMAD SAIF KHAN

Karachi