SHC forms body to address Karachi traffic issues

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary of the province on the issue of heavy vehicles entry and deteriorating traffic situation in this metropolis. The Committee comprises of Karachi Mayor and Commissioner and officials of federal and provincial governments' departments related to transport. The division bench of SHC headed b Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar also ordered to hold a meeting on March 19 of all stakeholders at the Commissioner Office for resolution of said issues caused due to entry of heavy traffic.
The SHC issued these directives in a petition pertaining to deteriorating situation of traffic because of entry of heavy traffic in the city. Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar requested the bench to form a committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Sindh to look into the issue. He stated that federal and Sindh governments' departments also have role in the traffic issue of the city. "The committee should be headed by the authority, which has also coordination with the federal government and Chief Secretary is that authority, that can do this work," he stated.
In December last year, SHC ordered Commissioner to furnish a plan in the court to tackle the traffic issue. The court observed that parties concerned submitted their recommendations in November last year in this regard. The transporters' representatives through counsel submitted before the court that they were not consulted on the plan for regulating the traffic. They stated that few officials took some decisions while sitting in their offices and never consulted them about the plan, which they want to implement to streamline the traffic. The Commissioner stated that government advertised in the newspapers to seek the suggestions for regulating the traffic. He said information can be passed on individually, as pointed out by the transporters. He also said that federal government departments didn't participate in the meeting, convened to chalk out the plan for traffic issues. He drew attention to his inability to direct them because he can only summon the people of city administration.
He informed that court that even Secretary Land Utilisation Sindh didn't attend the meeting, which was held sometimes back in this regard, at which provincial attorney told the court that the said Secretary is under arrest, so he didn't appear in the hearing of the case. Justice Mazhar remarked that someone should have responded as the charge would have been handed over to someone else if Secretary Land Utilisation was arrested. Sindh government attorney informed the court that the secretary was arrested two days back, so the charge was not given to anyone else. Accepting the plea of the Mayor, SHC constituted the committee mentioned earlier.
The SHC bench also sought the report for implementation of the court' orders in three weeks regarding regularising traffic in the metropolis.