Sikandar Haider
DERA GHAZI KHAN
Motorists and pedestrians here suffer problems due to frequent traffic jams on the city roads especially at crossings and chowks while the TMA seems busy in “corruption” and has no interest in installing traffic signals in the city.
The traffic flow is deteriorating thereby creating problems, giving mental embarrassment to the road users. The policemen deputed on some important points of the city remain unaware and disabled to control the traffic situation.
The most affected areas are Railway Road, Hospital chowk, Traffic Chowk, College Road, Katchery Road, Quaid-i-Azam Road, Peer Qatal, Chowk Churatha, Pakistani Chowk, College chowk, Pull Dat where encroachments, non installation of traffic signalling system and stands of motor cycle rickshaws cause traffic mess.
Despite the other factors, a large numbers of motor cycle rickshaws are the main headache for the citizen. These rickshaws are driven by underage children on the city roads.
Yasin Lodghi, a businessman at Hospital Road, said that traffic was jammed due to parking of these rickshaws especially at the peak business hours. For two to three hours daily, the traffic flow remains disturbed in front of their shops in spite of repeated complaints, he said.
Criticising the police apathy, PPP leader Yasir Javid said that the police had completely failed to control the traffic. Many people had lost their lives in accidents, 10 members of a family died when an overloaded rickshaw fell into the Wadoor canal recently, he mentioned. Likewise, , in July, 2013, at least 14 people including a woman and two children were killed due to negligence of the rickshaw driver as it had been run over by a train at railway crossing in Sheikhupura.
Excise & Taxation Officer Sohail Buzdar said that bike rickshaws are not registered in schedule list of vehicles. They were registered only as motorcycles. The Excise Department receives vehicle token tax as of motorcycle. These rickshaws are illegal, he said and stressed a need for taking steps against them.
Secretary Regional Transport Authority Azher Hussain also confirmed the version of ETO DG Khan. He said that the RTA had banned these rickshaws and seized a large number of them but due to political pressure and on the order of high-ups, they could take no action.
SP Investigation Abdul Raheem Sherazi said that 10,000 to 15,000 rickshaws were running in the city. Though illegal, the traffic police could not ban them as it will cause unemployment which could destroy the social system, he said.
TMO Muhammad Tahir acknowledged the fact that TMA contractors received Rs300 month fee from the rickshaws while these rickshaws are neither registered as public transport nor had rout permits. He also admitted that these rickshaws were main hurdles in traffic jams.