KARACHI:
If you are a resident of the Defence Housing Authority, make sure you carry your computerised national identity card so that the 7,000 policemen, who will be on duty to make sure no one else makes it to Sea View, let you in.
For those who are not residents of the area, be prepared to turn around as the government has done all in its capacity to make sure there are no New Year's Eve celebrations on the beach.
According to the traffic department's plan, the roads leading to Bilawal House from Boat Basin, and from Sunset Boulevard towards Punjab Chowrangi, will be completely blocked for traffic. Commuters can use Korangi Road as an alternative.
Those who will be heading towards Khayaban-e-Ittehad from Expressway, will be diverted to Korangi Road, Sharae Faisal, Club Chowk, Regent Chowk, Teen Talwar, Do Talwar, 26th Street, and then take a right at Sea View McDonalds to reach their destination on Ittehad. This is only for residents of DHA who will have to show their ID cards. Furthermore, traffic will not be allowed to move from Mai Kolachi Road to Submarine Chowrangi after 9pm.
Since the KPT bridge near the US Consulate will be closed, the roads from Bilawal Chowrangi to Jinnah Bridge will be opened. Commuters will, however, not be allowed to park anywhere on Abdullah Haroon, Mai Kolachi, MT Khan roads and Sharae Faisal.
"The use of vehicles or motorcycles without silencers is strictly prohibited and anyone found violating this will be handed over to the local police for legal action," said DIG Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh in a press statement.
Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui has also called for a complete ban on New Year's celebrations and has requested motorcycle riders to avoid racing. "In the wake of the recent Peshawar attack and fire incidents in Karachi's Timber Market and Lahore's Anarkali Bazaar, all New Year's celebrations should be aborted," he said.
CM House meeting
To discuss the arrangements for New Year's, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah also led a law and order meeting on Tuesday. He decided that over 7,000 policemen will be on duty tonight, and over 30,000 policemen and bomb disposal experts will be on duty for Rabiul Awal 12.
"I want you to take fool-proof security measures to avert Peshawar-like incidents in the city, in particular, and in Sindh, in general," said Shah. The meeting at CM House was attended by information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, home secretary Niaz Abbasi, Sindh IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali, and Karachi AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebo.
"We have decided to completely close the roads leading to Sea View," said IG Jamali, adding that the entrance and exits will be given from Clifton and Darakhshan areas. The home secretary said there will be a ban on pillion riding on New Year's Eve. "Those who ride their motorcycles without silencers will be arrested," said Abbasi. He added they are gathering information on the presence of militants and the amount of extortion they collect from different areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2014.
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Shutdown whole country .Nothing else you politician can do . People of Pakistan its time for uprising against this corrupt useless politician .
The rich do have the system working for them. By all means, put the "hooligans" behind bars, but last time I checked, Sea View was "public" property.