Car parking in the busy business centers and near government offices where public dealings take place is becoming difficult and people are obliged to park their cars at desolate places. There are many streets that have been declared as no parking areas by the city traffic police for security reasons.
It is interesting to note that violation of parking instructions are the one on which the city police reacts without any loss of time. It either books the car driver for violating the car parking instructions or lifts it with the help of car lifters and carries it to the nearest police kiosk.
The real hassle begins from this stage. The owner on finding his car missing from the place it was parked begins its search as the police officials removing the picked up car do not leave any note regarding the action.
The first thought that occurs to mind is that the car might have been stolen by thieves and a report to the nearest police station should be lodged. But after knowing the real story from the nearby shop owners or from those lucky ones who were sitting in the cars, parked in the no parking areas, that it had been taken to the nearest traffic police kiosk some ease comes back to the nervous system.
But the relief is always short lived.
On reaching the police kiosk the battering comes from the officer in charge who begins his business from asking about the documents of the car, certification of ownership, driving licence and tax payment record and finally the fitness certificate. If all the inquiry proceeds well and all answers replied satisfactory, the inquiry into the circumstances which compel you to commit the crime, violation of parking instructions.
The entire exercise takes more than an hour and then the car is freed only after the payment of fine plus lifting charges. To cut short this exercise a settlement is always possible and that is the payment of bribe already fixed for different vehicles. Payments of forklift operators are also fixed.
Knowledgeable people in the city police set-up say that forklifts stationed at different police stations are the properties of police officials and they want these equipment to be operational to their maximum. The traffic police officials and forklift operators often do not mind picking up cars from the authorised car parking areas.
But this activity takes place on only 'lean days' when people begin to observe irrational instructions of the traffic police regarding car-parking zone.
Declaring certain streets as no parking zone without providing alternative to these instructions seems to be intentional.
It lays a trap for the people who finding it frustrating that there is no parking place, violate the illegal and irrational instructions of the police and park their vehicles at 'owner's risk'.
It is the responsibility of the public representatives to look into this public nuisance and find out a solution to this growing problem of the people of Karachi. Streets are getting narrower and number of cars, thanks to leasing companies and car financing, are increasing day by day. At the same time business activities have also increased whereas the market areas continue to remain unplanned.
Though some expansion in the market areas has taken place but still businessmen have preferred to remain confined to old market places.
The new city government of Karachi should now take up car parking issue and carryout a survey of all the busy streets and earmark parking areas. Paid car parking is still a practical proposal.
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