QUETTA: The city of Quetta is currently facing serious traffic problems where snarl-ups have become commonplace while the citizens are facing severe mental anguish and anxiety due to the growing problem.

The city’s population has grown over time, but its road infrastructure has not been updated to meet the demands of greater traffic. The surrounding areas of Sariab, Zarghoon and Airport roads were widened to some extent but no work was carried out to expand the central areas.

On the other hand, with the passage of time and especially during the last decade, the number of vehicles, rickshaws and buses has increased tremendously that has aggravated the situation.

The main reason for the traffic problems is that no work has been done in terms of development and expansion in the city. In the last few years, no new flyovers or underpasses were built in any part of the city except one.

According to the Excise and Taxation Department, the number of vehicles and rickshaws of various types currently plying on the roads of the city has reached the figure of around 300,000. The number of rickshaws alone is more than 50,000, and out of the said figure, there are some 15,000 to 20,000 autos that are operating illegally. In addition to this, the number of motorcycles registered with the department is about 400,000.

Attempts are sometimes made to keep the traffic flowing or organized by making a road ‘one-way’ or by erecting obstructions. But with the limited resources and less personnel, the problems are compounded by the lack of a Traffic Engineering Bureau.

The plan for setting up a Traffic Engineering Bureau was proposed in the previous government. The PC-1 was also developed but has not yet been implemented. The delay can be used to gauge the priority given to the solution of civic problems, especially the growing traffic issues.

Not enough personnel

Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Quetta Javed Ahmed has said the population of the city has increased during the last two to three decades but the number of traffic police personnel is almost the same as before.

“Even now, there are about 400 traffic police officers to control the traffic throughout the city”, SP Ahmed told Bol News.

He also said the real cause of the traffic problems is the absence of a Traffic Engineering Bureau. “If the engineering bureau is established then the traffic in the city can be controlled systematically under the system”, the senior officer suggested.

SP Ahmed insisted that this will determine which road is to be made a ‘one-way’ track and what will be the parking system.

He also said that the traffic signals were installed at seven different places in the city almost three decades ago, though none of them is active currently.

Dr Sami Tareen, a resident of Quetta, said that there are not enough parking spaces at the main Jinnah Road and Liaquat Bazaar. “People working in the banks and shops, they all park vehicles outside their workplaces, using up whatever parking spaces are available. Consequently, the shoppers and the visitors to the banks find it almost impossible to park their vehicles in the nearby areas.”

He said the government must start some public transport facility such as rapid bus lines or a metro train service for Quetta’s residents.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo while inaugurating the multistorey Parking Plaza at Circular Road said the parking problems of the citizens of Quetta would be resolved and similar parking plazas would be constructed at Meezan Chowk and the Liaquat Bazaar areas. He also announced free parking facility for the public as well.

A Metropolitan Corporation Quetta (MCQ) employee, requesting anonymity, has disagreed with the CM’s decision of announcing ‘free parking’ facility at the Parking Plaza, suggesting that some amount must be charged as parking fees.

Meanwhile, the illegal paid parking also plays a negative role in Quetta’s traffic, he added. The private parking mafia in the city has also flouted the orders of the MCQ, he said.

The corporation had fixed the parking charges for a car at Rs30 and for a motorcycle at Rs20. But currently the illegal parking fees being charged by the mafias in the city are Rs50 to Rs70, while the motorcycle parking fees are being charged at Rs30 to Rs40, he informed.

The citizens say that lack of planning has compounded the misery. The performance of the district administration in the city is disappointing due to which the mafia is rampant.

MCQ Administrator Shaukat Ali has said that practical steps will be taken to make the city clean and keep the traffic system running smoothly.

He also said that the Circular Road Parking Plaza, with a capacity of more than 1,500 parking spaces, has been constructed to improve the traffic system.

The administrator has urged the public to park their vehicles in the specified places instead of the roadsides to avoid traffic jams in the city.