Unclogging the arteries: Traffic Police launch anti-encroachment drive

The campaign aims to clear encroachments and illegal parking.

KARACHI:

The Karachi Traffic Police have initiated a campaign against encroachments and illegal parking in Saddar, in an effort to smoothen the flow of traffic in one of the busiest areas of the city.

The traffic personnel have started a rigorous campaign of impounding vehicles parked illegally on the roadsides on the main thoroughfares of Saddar — Zaibunissa Street and Preedy Street. They are also removing encroachments from the roads so that the existing road network can be used to its full potential to ease the flow of traffic.

“We usually impound vehicles parked illegally on the roadsides. The drive, however, is an attempt to clear them out for good with the help of the police,” explained a section officer of the Traffic Police, who was loading motorcycles on a pickup van near Regal Chowk. “These people park their motorcycles wherever they feel like,” he lamented.



The official explained that Saddar faced the heaviest traffic in District South and they could not afford an obstruction in the flow due to the illegally parked vehicles. “A traffic jam on a single road affects the whole city. This has become a routine especially during the peak hours,” he said. The official lamented that though the police impounded vehicles on a regular basis, people still would not learn from their mistakes and parked in the same spots everyday.

“We work in the market and park our motorcycles in front of our shops. Where else should we take them?” questioned a shopkeeper at Regal Chowk, Fazal Rehman. He alleged that the police officials only impounded their vehicles to make money. “The parking plaza is far away and we cannot risk it because of the uncertain situation in the city.”



On the other hand, Traffic Police DIG Muhammad Arif Haneef reasoned that the drive was for the benefit of the general public. “The number of vehicles in the city keeps increasing while the road network remains the same. Under these circumstances, we must try to keep the existing road networks clear at least.” He was of the opinion that the people parking their vehicles illegally on the roads had no right to complain about the drive.

Hanif further said that they had raised the issue of illegal parking with the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and talks were in progress. The two departments will jointly launch a drive on a larger scale against all encroachments. “Right now, we are just clearing those areas with the help of the police where resistance is low,” he said. They will set up check posts to keep an eye on those who return after the police leave. Hanif was also unhappy with the protests and rallies outside the press club as these affect the traffic flow in the whole district.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2013.