Celebrations cause traffic problems for citizens

Commuters complained of faulty traffic signals and absence of cops at various locations

KARACHI: Independence Day celebrations on Monday become a headache for commuters, as most parts of the city experienced severe traffic jams.

Traffic flow was not smooth throughout the day, as a large number of citizens came out on the roads for Independence Day celebrations. Citizens complained of faulty traffic signals and absence of traffic police personnel at various locations.

The roads were crowded by youngsters dancing to national songs and doing stunts on their motorcycles, causing severe traffic jams. However, instead of ensuring the smooth flow of traffic, the traffic police completely failed to clear the main arteries of the city.



According to a traffic police official, the traffic jams were mostly caused due to people who parked their cars on main roads. Commuters complained that travelling from District Central to Sea View took two hours, whereas usually it takes only 45 minutes. A cantonment board parking official said he hardly ever sees severe traffic jams at Sea View, however, on Monday the parking was full. Therefore, he said, commuters parked their cars on the main road.

After being stuck on Karsaz for over half an hour, Yousuf Hasan said he has turned off his car as there was no movement in the traffic. Hasan added that he has family with him and now he is looking for a way to return home.

Similar was the situation in the surroundings of Mazar-e-Quaid. Criticising the traffic police department for not handling the traffic, Muhammad Ramzan, an elderly man, said neither were the signals working nor were traffic police performing duties.



Meanwhile in a statement, Traffic DIG Asif Aijaz Sheikh urged citizens to obey traffic signals and not create chaos. He added that the traffic police officials are on the spot and trying their best to the control traffic situation.

Major places in the city such as Sharae Faisal, Clifton and MA Jinnah Road experienced severe traffic jams. Aladin Park and Sindbad on Rashid Minhas Road are the next popular spots after Sea View that are mostly visited by citizens for entertainment. Despite being signal-free, movement of traffic on Rashid Minhas Road became difficult.