Why are Karachi’s citizens being forced to pay unofficial parking fees?

KARACHI: Traffic police in Karachi may take pride in issuing million traffic violation tickets to motorcyclists for not wearing safety helmets and other tiny cases in months, but such a severe action to teach traffic violators a lesson appears to take the metropolis’s chaotic traffic nowhere to sanity.

Karachi is becoming a victim of increasing traffic problems. The opening of new roads and construction of flyovers are also not reducing traffic problems. Instead of overcoming traffic jams, traffic cops have focused on filling their pockets by picking up motorbikes and vehicles in the metropolis.

In the name of traffic rehabilitation, traffic officials pick up motorbikes and vehicles from outside the shopping centers to collect extortion money and the owners of the vehicles are charged Rs 450 to Rs 300.

According to an estimate, the number of motor vehicles in Pakistan is about 6 million, of which a quarter run only in Karachi, while broken roads, lack of parking facilities and corrupt police are creating traffic problems in the metropolis.

According to a public opinion poll conducted by Transparency International, corrupt practices by government officials – especially among the police – are increasing.

Many of this study’s interviewees (with the exception of the traffic police officer) claimed in confidence that they feel the police department is corrupt to its core. ‘It’s totally corrupt and is hungry for money. The police officers were also admitted that malpractice exists in the police department.

According to official statement statics issued by Sindh police, the traffic police challaned 2,531 vehicles for speeding, 5,573 vehicles carrying passengers in public service vehicles exceeding the allowable limit, 17,033 for jumping the red light,

Approximately 611 were challaned for overtaking, for obstructing traffic 50,701 were fined, for irresponsible and negligent driving 45, 242 were punished and 89,782 were issued with tickets for driving without driving a license from October 2020 to April 2021.

During the five months of 2021, the Karachi Traffic Police has failed to manage to control fatal accidents. During the period, 457 fatal accidents were reported as compared to the five months of 2020 when the number of such incidents was 381. 

Millions of rupees are collected from the citizens in the name of fines on the traffic sections; a huge amount of the money earned on a daily basis allegedly reaches the top officials. The only way to avoid problems is to think collectively. Fundamental changes are needed in the overall structure of traffic management.

It is also the responsibility of the Sindh government to provide alternative spaces to the vehicles inside the shopping centers so that parking space is easily available to the customers coming to the shopping centers.

The main reason for traffic hazards in Karachi is just because of pathetic construction of roads. Moreover, traffic police have added fuel to the fire by collecting money from citizens which needed to be addressed as a priority