Traffic jam clogs different parts of Karachi

Major roads leading to Expo Centre were blocked due to IDEAS 2016

KARACHI: Traffic woes became worse - as expected - in most parts of the port city on the first day of the ninth International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS), which is currently being held at Expo Centre, as major roads leading to the venue remained blocked.

To add to the misery of the people, broken roads inundated with sewage water were used as diversions, which were also not controlled by traffic policemen. Moreover, public buses and rickshaws were also barred from entering major streets of the city.

The traffic started slowing down early in the morning mainly in Gulshan-e-Iqbal when hundreds of drivers, who were unaware of the alternative routes announced by the traffic police, stumbled upon roadblock at University Road.

By afternoon, the traffic system on every major artery almost collapsed causing a gridlock.



Contrary to the promise made by District East Traffic SP Erum Awan that University Road will not be closed for public, it was closed for about two hours on Tuesday due to which roads leading to Gulshan Town, Ghareebabad, Nipa, National Stadium and Teen Hatti got clogged.

The extra traffic police force, which was assured by the traffic police, was also not seen on the alternative routes.

Public suffering

A resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Hammad Siddiqui decided to use Rashid Minhas Road to drive to Sharae Faisal. However, the diversion behind the National Stadium was inundated with knee-deep sewage water, he shared.

"What's most upsetting is the government's apathy towards condition of the diversions they provided," he said, adding that even on Rashid Minhas Road, the presence of four dumpers early morning choked the entire road.

At least, the government should thave enforced proper traffic management on alternative routes, he remarked while speaking to The Express Tribune.

Along with District East, parts of the South district were also clogged due to the intermittent VVIP movements. According to Aisha, who lives in Defence Housing Authority, the road before the FTC Flyover was also closed because of the VVIP movement.

However, the road was opened for half an hour, but even then only cars and motorcycles were allowed to pass through Sharae Faisal and public buses and rickshaws were told to turn back.

Mehnaz Shafiq, who daily visits her bank near Hotel Metropole in a rickshaw, said that she had to walk all the way from Gora Qabristan towards her bank as no public bus or rickshaw was allowed to pass the FTC Building. "Is this how government treats its common public?" she asked.

Traffic police's version

Awan said that the University Road was closed for 40 minutes at the eleventh hour due to security reasons. However, before the exhibition, all the diversions routes were carpeted, she claimed.

If at the last minute any sewage line starts leaking, how are we supposed to address that immediately, she remarked.

Only around Expo Center, she said, 350 traffic policemen have been deployed at Expo Centre while in the entire city 1,450 traffic police personnel are performing their duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2016.