Rescue services: No emergency centres along Sindh’s ‘unsafe’ highways

The assembly has passed two resolutions to set up rescue centres but none have been implemented.

KARACHI: Sindh's highways have become a death trap for commuters. Fatal accidents on these thoroughfares have become a regular feature, while the authorities remain helpless in the face of such calamities.

Take the recent coach-oil tanker collision at the Kathore Link Road, for example. Sixty two people died in the accident; many of them burned alive as they could not evacuate the bus in time.

What is a common feature seen after almost event catastrophe of this nature is the blame game that starts between the various government functionaries. Some of the highways in Sindh come under the purview of the Sindh government while others are managed by the National Highway Authority, which falls under the federal government.



The Sindh Assembly has passed two resolutions to improve emergency services along the Super Highway and National Highway. The resolutions, which were passed unanimously by the House each time, have been limited to paper. The first resolution was moved in 2012 and the second, a few weeks ago in the wake of the horrific accident near Khairpur, which had claimed the lives of 59 people.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Khalid Ahmed, who was one of the signatories of the resolutions, said that the government had no intention to set aside a budget for the cause. "A unanimous resolution is the opinion of the entire House and reflects the wishes of the people of the province," he explained. "But it looks like the government just passes the resolutions and then discards them."

Ahmed was of the opinion that most inter-city buses were not even fit to ply on the roads, but the provincial transport department had failed in their duty to check the vehicles' fitness.

"There are no safety measures such as emergency doors in the buses, which mostly run on CNG.  The passengers are literally travelling on live bombs and no one bothers to check them," he lamented.

Motorway Police officials claim they have advised the provincial and federal government to set up rescue and emergency systems at their offices and deploy trained personnel of the local administration. The suggestion was, however, ignored. "We already have an effective communication system and our personnel patrol the Super Highway 24 hours a day," said a senior official of the motorway police. "With the establishment of rescue and emergency services, lives could be saved," he said, adding that in case of emergencies, electric cutters and cranes, as well as fire tenders, were necessary to extinguish the fire and rescue people trapped in the vehicles. "Between Karachi and Kashmore, not a single rescue facility is available. In case of an emergency at Nooriabad, the fire tenders take one and an hour to reach from Karachi. How can one expect to control the number of casualties in such conditions?" he questioned.  For his part, the transport minister, Aijaz Jakhrani, told The Express Tribune that it was the responsibility of National Highway Authority to set up facilities along the National and Super highways.

When questioned about unfit vehicles plying on the roads, he said that until recently, the vehicle fitness department was under the police domain. "It has now been handed over to us and we are taking measures now."

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2015.