New Year’s eve: Avoid Sea View today, alternate routes for December 31 marked out

Ban on motorcycles without silencers and aerial firing. Traffic, except vehicles of residents, to not be allowed.

KARACHI: All routes leading to Sea View will be blocked while shops, markets, petrol pumps and hotels located on these routes will be closed at 8 pm on December 31.

The roads will be scanned by the Bomb Disposal Squad while surveillance cameras have already been installed at Sea View.

The police has banned aerial firing, silencer-less motorcycles and use of weapons on New Year’s eve and those violating the ban will be arrested.

Police and Rangers will patrol the internal routes of DHA and Clifton. Police pickets will be set up and snap checking will be carried out.

Alternative routes

Alternative routes for the night were announced by Traffic DIG Khurram Gulzar. Heavy vehicles such as trucks and dumpsters going from the Expressway and Korangi to Akhtar Colony will not be allowed to pass through Khayaban-e-Ittehad (Sea View).

These vehicles would go to Sharae Faisal from Korangi Road and pass through Regent Chowk, Club Chowk, Sultanabad, Mai Kolachi and Boat Basin to reach Ziauddin roundabout, Sea View and Khayaban-e-Ghalib.

Traffic will only be allowed to move in one direction from Ali Baba China roundabout to Akhtar Colony signal. Traffic, except vehicles of residents, will not be allowed to go towards Do Talwar, KPT underpass and Bilawal roundabout. Clifton Helipad and Khayaban-e-Firdousi will be closed for traffic.

Roads connecting Mauripur to Mai Kolachi will also be closed for heavy vehicles so these vehicles are advised to pass through Jinnah Bridge, Hub River Road to Sharae Pakistan. Heavy vehicles coming from Korangi Industrial Area will be going through Jam Sadiq Bridge to the National Highway and the Northern Bypass to reach their destinations.

People planning to head towards Sea View from Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Keamari Town, Lyari Town and Site Town will have to pass through the Estate Avenue Road, Mauripur Road, Jinnah Bridge, Maulvi Tameezuddin Road, Mai Kolachi Bypass, Boat Basin, Bilawal roundabout.

Vehicles coming from North Nazimabad Town, Gulberg Town, Liaquatabad Town, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town and New Karachi will take MA Jinnah Road, Garden Road, Zaibun Nisa Street to reach the Avari signal. From the Avari signal, vehicles will be diverted to the Sind Club chowk, PIDC Chowk, Sultanabad, Mai Kolachi Bypass, Bilawal Chowrangi and Ziauddin roundabout to Khayaban-e-Ghalib to Sea View.

Those going from Gadap Town, Bin Qasim Town, Landhi Town, Korangi Town, Shah Faisal Town, Jamshed Town and Saddar Town to Sea View will have to go from the Mai Kolachi Bypass. Parking will not be allowed at main Sharae Faisal, Abdullah Haroon Road, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Mai Kolachi Road, Korangi Road and MT Khan Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, Decembe 31^st, 2010.