SHC bars heavy vehicles’ movement from 6am to 11pm

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the Karachi traffic police chief and the provincial transport secretary on Tuesday to stop heavy vehicles from plying Karachi’s roads between 6am and 11pm.

The order came on Faisal Bengali and others’ petition against movement of heavy vehicles on the city’s roads and through residential localities during daytime.

The petitioners said they were permanent residents of the city and were distressed because of the prevailing situation of traffic that was deteriorating with every passing day.

The petitioners’ counsel, Muhammad Abdur Rehman, said the Supreme Court had directed the traffic police chief in August 2007 to immediately stop entry of heavy vehicles in the city during daytime and regulate such flow of traffic only between 11pm and 6am.

He said the apex court had observed that except in exceptional cases, the ban on entry of heavy vehicles in the city during daytime would continue to remain in force until further orders.

He added that on February 20 the Karachi commissioner had imposed a ban on entry of heavy vehicles in the city between 6am and 11pm for three years.

The counsel pointed out that despite the orders issued by the SC and the city commissioner, heavy vehicles continued to ply the roads during daytime in every part of the city, including residential areas, causing imminent threat to the lives, liberties and properties of the citizens.

He told the court that the relevant authorities, including the Sindh Transport Department and the Karachi traffic police, were duty-bound to take immediate and appropriate measures for improvement in the traffic flow and safety of the public.

He added that the authorities had failed in discharging their statutory duties and they had also failed in implementing the orders of the Supreme Court.

The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar issued notices to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the Defence Housing Authority, the transport secretary and others, directing them to submit their comments on the issue.

The bench directed the Sindh transport secretary and the Karachi traffic police chief to appear in court along with their detailed reports specifying measures taken by them in respect of matters relating to movement of heavy vehicles, encroachments on roads, lack of traffic management, digging and repair works without proper planning, illegal parking and improper goods transportation by trailer trucks and other heavy vehicles.

The court directed the relevant authorities to stop movement of heavy vehicles, except water tankers, between 6am and 11pm in every part of the city with immediate effect as well as ensure implementation of the order in letter and spirit by deployment of an efficient and effective force and by taking strict action against violators.