Chaos on wheels

While the enthusiastic celebrations on Independence Day gave all citizens the opportunity to cherish their freedom, the overzealous ‘celebrations’ of some, greatly inconvenienced the public at large. The shenanigans of motorcyclists, who invaded the roads of major cities and towns on the eve of August 14 and on the day itself, purportedly in celebration, proved to be a menace. This was accompanied by jubilation firing in Karachi, which not only injured many, but served to take away from the celebratory mood. The response of the authorities, to block roads, only added to the chaos by clogging up the obvious alternative routes.

‘What other recreational options do they have, the poor things’, is the sympathy often offered in defence of motorcyclists, many of whom are below the legal age of driving, and who vandalise the streets every Sunday and on every national holiday in major cities and towns. While the hardships braved by the underprivileged in our society should be of utmost concern to everyone, it must be noted that hooligan motorcyclists are not representative of that segment of society. This is not a question of underprivileged people making merry, but one of complete disregard for fellow citizens, the law and the sanctity of neighbourhoods. We have all witnessed these young motorcyclists openly defying and laughing at the traffic police. We have also witnessed the same motorcyclists flying to their violent, abrupt ends on the glistening tarmac or at the bottom of a roadside ditch. It is a matter the law-enforcement authorities must take into their control. There must be accountability for such behaviour. This will help bring about order to the streets, reduce noise pollution, reduce the risk of accidents and allow people from all strata of society to venture out in a civilised environment on a public holiday. This can only be brought about through stringent administrative measures, and perhaps not of the kind witnessed in Karachi, where the blocking of roads, instead of controlling the motorcyclists, only inconvenienced the public.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2015.

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