Travelling on the illegal roof racks of minibuses in this extreme hot weather have proved a deadly mix for commuters. Several commuters have suffered from sunstroke while travelling on roofs of minibuses in blistering heat.
Direct exposure to blistering sunshine was termed the main reason of more than 1000 sunstroke deaths in the city and according to rescue sources the victims also included some ill-fated commuters, who were travelled on the roof racks of minibuses in Karachi.
Hundreds of thousands of commuters travel on the roof racks of minibuses of Karachi every day and they could fall prey to sunstroke due to direct exposure to extreme heat. About two months back the Supreme Court of Pakistan has instructed the provincial government of Sindh to remove roof racks from the minibuses in Karachi, but this instruction is yet to be implemented.
Healthcare experts warn that commuters should not travel while perching on the minibus roof racks, especially during the ongoing hot spell in the city. They said the authorities should remove the roof racks from all minibuses and coaches in the city as they are already a grave threat to commuters sitting on them.
The government of Sindh should take action against these transporters and ensure removal of the minibus roof racks. The transporters should be allowed to brought double-decker public transport vehicles in the city as they would give them more profit, without risking the lives of innocent commuters.