The area around the Mauripur truck stand, commonly known as ‘truck adda’, used to face massive traffic jams owing to frequent, almost non-stop movement of trucks, trailers and other heavy mechanical monsters. But the government re-constructed the road with a three-lane dual carriageway, wide pavements on both sides and a carpeted service road.
Although there was a gap in the design as the wide pavements remained deprived of any greenery, the nicely constructed road provided much-needed relief to the people passing through the area.
But people soon started facing the same misery again. One out of three lanes on both sides can now be seen occupied by trucks and trailers, taking the road to its previous level.
The same is the case with the service road. Nevertheless, this violation cannot happen without the connivance of relevant law-enforcement agency; the traffic police in this case.
The two parties — the truck-owners and the traffic police — enjoy the lack of accountability and a check on them by the authorities, while the public has been suffering once again from the misery they were suffering for long till the construction of the road and other development in the area.
The government makes huge investments in the development and building of infrastructure, but does not maintain it, resulting in public nuisance.
Other than the truck mafia and its collaborators, the footpaths have been encroached upon and kiosks have sprung up, leaving no place for the pedestrians.
Will the authorities concerned look into these issues and ensure that the people are facilitated for whom the whole development was supposedly carried out?
ABDUL MAJEED
KARACHI
