Lyari Expressway, Northern Bypass: minister orders survey for removing black spots

Dr Arbab Alamgir, Federal Minister for Communications has directed the concerned authorities to conduct survey for removing black spots of Lyari Expressway and Northern Bypass to avoid casualties. Presiding over a seminar on "Road Safety- Everybody's Responsibility" organised by National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP), he said the concerned authorities should conduct survey to eliminate black spots of Lyari Expressway and Northern Bypass.
He said the government is heavily spending on road network because it plays a vital role in the development of any country but the national highways are being deteriorated by heavy loaded vehicles, providing billions of rupees financial shocks to the national kitty, annually. He said the government has signed an agreement with Malaysia to expand national highways to six Lane on Build Operation and Transfer (BOT) basis and the construction work in this regard is going to be commenced in coming March.
Wajjid Ali Durani, IG, NH&MP said the Road Safety Ordinance has empowered the NH&MP to run licence and vehicle fitness offices. However, the same are being operated by others. He urged the authority concerned to transfer the same to NH&MP for better results. He said this seminar was aimed at spreading awareness about road safety in the country and added that 15 seminars are going to be conducted to provide better understandings to the masses about road safety issues.
Moreover, he said the mass transit system, which was earlier operational in the city, has to be revived to overcome serious traffic issues and added that although the law has given immense powers to NH&MP, the same could not be enforced with maximum because of financial constraints, lack of appropriate manpower, etc.
Dr Rashid Jumma, principal investigator in his presentation revealed that the bikers and pedestrians are the major victims in road mishaps and added that only 5 percent of bikers wear helmets. He urged the authorities to make helmet as mandatory for bikers and added that the co-ordination between all ambulance services should also be established to facilitate citizens at maximum.
Asad Jehangir Khan, former IGP said the authority should fix targets for law enforcement, saying that the government had legislated law regarding helmet wearing in 1981 but the same has so far not been implemented with true spirit, causing to escalate fatalities ratio especially in Karachi. He said the law related to pedestrian should also be promulgated to protect them.
Former test captain Javed Miandad held the parents responsible for high causalities in the city, saying that parents should play their due role to educate their children about road safety. A large number of people from different walks of life attended the seminar.