At long last, and in the aftermath of the July 23 grisly ICI Bridge tragedy, in which four members of a family were crushed to death by a container-truck, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has banned the entry of six-wheeler single-axle vehicles within its jurisdiction for loading imported containerised cargo.
Significantly, this came about in pursuance of a decision arrived at in a tripartite meeting organised by Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), and chaired by KPT Chairperson Nasreen Haque, ostensibly to ensure the safety of people using the city roads.
More to this, the KPT also directed the haulers, represented by Madad Khan Niazi, President of Karachi Goods Carriers Association (KGCA), Shakoor Selani, Senior Vice President of KGCA, and Arif Malik, to have their six-wheeler, single-axle vehicles converted into at least 10 wheelers, with three axles, within five months.
According to its decisions, among other things, no vehicle would be allowed to load cargo beyond its existing capacity. For example, a six-wheeler truck must not carry more than 10 tons of weight. Resting beyond KPT's jurisdiction, the carriers of exportable goods would, however, remain exempt from the ban till the five-month deadline.
It will also be noted that seemingly awakened to the grim reality of July 23, the truckers who claim that at least 5,000 families depend on the convertible trucks for their livelihood, said that they would honour the commitment to convert their vehicles by the deadline.
On its part, to ensure strict and effective implementation of the ban, KPT has issued special directives to its Port Security Force (PSF) and Port Safety Department, as the move is aimed, also, at regulating the haulers, who had long been violating the cargo carriage standards. Moreover, besides the haulers, speedy water tankers also need be effectively checked by the police, not just for the sake of it, but to make the best of the opportunity to tame all operators in the expanding traffic jungle of metropolitan Karachi.
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