Karachi traffic police issues diversion plan for HBL PSL

Road closures ahead of matches cause inconvenience to citizens

KARACHI:

The traffic police issued a diversion plan ahead of Pakistan Super League VI matches - scheduled to take place from February 20 to March 7 in Karachi. However, on Monday night, the relevant authorities went ahead with closing roads, causing inconvenience to citizens.

According to a notification issued by the traffic police, the road connecting Liaquatabad to Hassan Square flyover and the stretch of Sir Shah Muhammad Sulaiman Road between the turning nearby the Expo Centre and the National Stadium will be closed for traffic and commuters will have to take a detour to University Road to reach their destinations.

Similarly, the National Stadium Flyover will also remain closed for traffic.

Besides, only small vehicles will be allowed to travel on the path connecting Sharae Faisal and Habib Ibrahim Rehmatullah Road to the National Stadium. Public transport and heavy vehicles will be restricted from travelling on this route. In the same manner, only small vehicles will be allowed to travel on the patch of Dalmia Road stretching between the signal near the National Stadium and Millenium Mall, and the part of University Road lying between the signal and New Town turning.

Heavy traffic will also be restricted from travelling on the road connecting Sohrab Goth and Nipa Chowrangi, Liaquatabad No10 to Hassan Square, Peoples Chowrangi to University Road, Karsaz to the National Stadium and Millenium Mall to New Town.

The traffic police has requested citizens for cooperation so as to avoid any inconvenience.

Choked roads

Multiple roads in the vicinity of the National Stadium were blocked for traffic on Monday as the teams participating in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 6 reached the cricket ground for net practice,

Consequently, the flow of traffic was disrupted and diverted toward arteries in the metropolis choked, citizens faced inconvenience.

University Road, Jail Chowrangi, Sharifabad, Kashmir Road, Tariq Road, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Sharae Faisal, Tipu Sultan, Baloch Colony, Gharibabad and Nipa Chowrangi, among others, were the roads and areas most affected by the measure taken to ensure the security and safety of international players included.

Until sunset on Monday, both tracks of Dalmia and Karsaz Road remained open for traffic. They were closed thereafter, which added to commuters' troubles. A traffic police official, who asked not to be named, claimed that the roads were closed for traffic by operations police and not the traffic police.

"The traffic police have nothing to do with it," he said while speaking to The Express Tribune. "Traffic police personnel were deployed on roads to regulate the flow of traffic and guide commuters towards alternative routes." He said the traffic police had even requested the operation police to remove barricades from spots, but the request was denied citing security concerns.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2021.