The Citizen Council for Human Rights, under the charter of the United Nations Organisation, is to streamline the work of "Miserable Peoples" by generating highly motivated, managed and commendable services to them on the basis of 21st century.
In order to achieve this noble cause, the Citizen Council for Human Rights is working on various projects related with "Humanitarian Grounds." At present, under this policy we commence it with an intention of facilitating thousands of peoples by taking initiative in the metropolitan city of Karachi.
The Citizen Council's aim is to serve the miserable peoples and persons who are working in the government organisations and are struggling at their respective levels for the betterment of their country and its peoples. Appreciating their works, we try to find ways and means for solving their genuine problems which are not foreseen by them.
As traffic problems all over Pakistan, particularly in Karachi are occurring in large numbers and efforts are being made to solve these problems at the government level and every concerned department realising its responsibilities, is trying its level best to overcome them. In this context, steps have been taken by Mustafa Kamal, Nazim Karachi, for several underpasses, flyovers, metalled roads, widening others.
Besides, more efforts were also made to control the increasing traffic flows. Similarly, Wajid Ali Khan Durrani, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Traffic) devotion and struggle were seen, and steps taken on priority basis were also noted.
Accordingly, the Citizen Council has organised some projects under the name "Road Traffic Safety Issues/Projects" which have been communicated to the government for consideration.
Necessary funds are being arranged by the Council itself. The approximate cost of all these projects, which include 10 projects and 3 traffic programmes, comes to Rupees twenty-five billion.
A part of these projects is 'Traffic Awareness' aimed at creating traffic sense among the peoples. Keeping this in view, we have observed that a great hindrance in the traffic is attributable to trucks (big or small) which bear advertising materials surrounded by Penaflax Boards having inner lights and considerable heights. Such trucks ply on Karachi's busy roads where lot of traffic problems already exist.
They usually cause roadblocks due to their advertisement activities. Their number is increasing day by day at alarming rate. The trucks which were hundreds in number are now heading towards thousands, according to the survey undertaken by our representatives.
Most of the companies have for the sake of cheap publicity of their products resorted to this practice and have started to take trucks on hire from different sources. It is not at all understood by us why the concerned authorised government departments are not taking serious view of this and no action is in sight over this serious problem. A mysterious atmosphere has been created and the interested business concerns have become crazy towards it.
Everyone from every quarter is after it. People are taking cars on lease basis only for the purpose of advertisement campaign. These cars are equipped with the ad materials of various companies.
Likewise, lot of ad materials is also seen on public buses and other transports with a prominent notice that contacts should be made at such and such numbers. To make the matter worse, even tankers eg oil tankers, water tankers which are already proving to be a curse for the road users, schemes are being prepared to bring them on roads with these advertisement materials in large number. It seems that with the implementation of this scheme, Karachi will have a new history.
We are surprised how these vehicles are plying in large numbers on very congested roads of the city and under which rules?
Are they paying heavy advertisement taxes on this account and for which there is no ban on them? Have they taken due permission from the concerned government agencies for carrying on such business? We, therefore, request you as well as the concerned government departments that they should come forward and take a serious view of this problem, otherwise if such state of affairs continues, whatever efforts are being made by the government for Electro Media, Electro Technology and leading newspapers depend on them for earnings through advertisements which run into billions of rupees.
These media are greatly connected with Pakistan's prosperity who have made these media through lot of investment having foreign investors as well. Not only this, Pakistan is enjoying great fame on account of these media and are being recognised all over the world. We realise all these factors would have a deep effect on these channels and leading newspapers. We sincerely hope attention will be given to this matter and take appropriate action taken in this behalf.
(The writer is Secretary General Citizen Council for Human Rights.)