Barricades, snap-checks mark New Year’s Eve

DHA residents must carry IDs to gain entry into neighbourhood, Sea View closed for public

KARACHI:

If you live in the Defence Housing Authority and Clifton area of the city, make sure you carry your computerised national identity card tonight. The authorities will be closing down all roads leading to Sea View on New Year's Eve and will only give access to residents.

Apart from the closure of main roads, commercial activities in these neighbourhoods will also be suspended after 6pm. Dolmen Mall Clifton is also going to shut down at the same time.





Sea View used to be the most popular spot for people from all parts of the city to gather as they greeted the new year. However, due to high incidents of crime and reports of harassment, the authorities started restricting access to the public space. Despite the hurdles, the revellers try their best to make their way to the beach and the police are expecting a large number of motorcycles and cars trying to enter the area during the evening rush hours. To cope with the rush, the provincial government has imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, which restricts the assembly of over 10 people. The same law restricts one-wheeling, riding motorcycles without silencers, aerial firing, fireworks and display of weapons on New Year's Eve.

The Sindh Police also plans to deploy 3,400 personnel on special duties, according to a statement issued by the Central Police Office on behalf of Sindh IG Ghulam Haider Jamali. During a meeting, Jamali was told that nearly 70 police vans and 95 motorcycle squads will patrol Sea View and its surrounding areas. Thirteen police pickets and 16 snap-checking points have also been set up on the roads leading towards Sea View.



Residents irked

Meanwhile, DHA residents have voiced the inconvenience caused by this annual closure of the neighbourhood. "The traffic congestion and longer routes that residents have to take [to reach their homes] becomes very problematic," said Farooq, a resident of DHA Phase VIII. He appreciated the decision to close Sea View for public as he felt the entire city would descend upon the beach on motorcycles without silencers.

New Year's Eve becomes a nightmare for DHA residents, said Junaid Qazi, a resident of DHA Phase II. The half-hour journey from work turns into a two-hour drive, he complained. "It's not our problem if the entire city make its way to the sea side, at least the residents should be allowed to reach their homes," he said.

For their part, Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) insisted these measures were taken for the benefit of the residents. "The closure of the roads is for a very limited time period," said CBC enforcement cell incharge Saqib. He assured that people will be allowed to enter after showing their CNIC.

Ensuring the safety of residents is the responsibility of the CBC and, for that purpose, the people have been informed through the media not to make their ways towards Sea View, he said. "We don't want any mishaps to occur on New Year's Eve."

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2015.