Target achieved: Transporters withdraw strike call as traffic police promise no fines for 10 days

‘Strike call was made to protest traffic police’s misbehaviour’

KARACHI: The Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) called off their strike on Thursday after the traffic police announced that public transporters will not be fined for the next 10 days.

The transporters’ association had called for a strike to protest against the traffic police’s misbehaviour with the drivers of public buses.

According to KTI general secretary Syed Mehmood Afridi, traffic DIG Amir Sheikh has given the transporters a 10-day ultimatum to get their buses restructured according to the provincial motor vehicle act 2014.

“We won’t be fined by the traffic police for the next 10 days at least for not having the documents completed,” he told The Express Tribune. He added that Sheikh had asked the KTI to stop passengers from boarding onto the rooftop of buses as it could lead to a major accident.



However, Afridi expressed resentment over the Qingqi rickshaws. “I don’t know why the DIG is reluctant to take unbiased action against these illegal vehicles?” Talking about the issues faced by transporters, he talked about the increasing number of passengers in Karachi. “The number of public transport vehicles has been reduced from 24,000 to 9,000 now,” he said. “How can we accommodate such a huge number of passengers with only 9,000 buses plied on the roads?”

He added that it is ‘natural’ for passengers to climb onto the roofs of buses. “When we ask passengers not to board the roofs, they misbehave with us and when we let them get to the roof, the traffic police charge us.” He urged upon the government to help them increase the number of public transport vehicles.

DIG’s version

On the other hand, Sheikh seemed disgruntled with the public transporters. “They exploit the need of the poor passengers,” he said. “They know that there aren’t as many vehicles to meet the demand of the city, so they let their passengers get on-board the rooftop.”

He added that this could lead to a major accident at any time. “This does not happen in any civilised city and it looks very ugly,” he said. Sheikh told The Express Tribune how he had been warning the transporters about passengers sitting on buses’ rooftops and they continued to ignore him. “Four months ago, I intimated them,” he said. “When I observed no significant change after 15 days passed, I started to fine them for carrying passengers in dangerous position with Rs1,000 as per the provincial motor vehicles amendment act 2014, and asked the police to arrest such drivers.”

According to him, transporters decided to go on strike after they were fined for their irresponsible conduct. He confirmed that he has given them 10 days to get their act together. He also acknowledged that there were ‘black sheep’ in the traffic police department, adding that he knows that some policemen have been taking bribes. “I have already suspended two officers for this,” he said. “I have also formed a committee, comprising a member of the Sindh police and a representative of the KTI, which would look into the cases of bribes.” On the issue of Qingqi rickshaws, Sheikh maintained that two wrongs do not make a right. “If they [Qingqi rickshaws] are illegal, it doesn’t mean that the transporters have a licence to violate the law,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2015.